00:00European Union countries have reached a deal to issue a 90 billion euros loan to meet Ukraine's
00:08financial and military needs for 2026 and 2027. Brussels is aiming to make the first payment in
00:16early April to spare Kiev from a sudden drop-off in foreign aid. The agreement on the legal text
00:22was struck by EU ambassadors on Wednesday. The 90 billion euros loan will be funded through the
00:29issuance of common debt with the EU budget as a guarantee for investors. The 90 billion euros
00:35figure will be split into two main pillars, 30 billion euros in budgetary aid and 60 billion euros
00:42in military aid. The balance could be changed if the war comes to an end. As part of the deal,
00:49Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will be completely exempted from all financial obligations,
00:55including annual interest payments. The legal texts still require the approval of the European
01:02Parliament, which has committed to fast-tracking the procedure.
01:09Spain will ban the use of social media for children under 16 and platforms will be required
01:16to implement age verification systems, according to an announcement by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
01:22Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone. A space of
01:32addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation, violence. We will no longer accept that.
01:40The government has announced five measures targeting digital platforms, including a new bill to hold
01:47social media executives responsible for illegal and hateful content.
01:54Well, I think it may have been strong. I think it would be good to have some restrictions
02:02for the small ones, but prohibiting those as such would be a bit of strong.
02:06I should have been better than any kind of restriction. Without just having to prohibit that they can
02:14for those years of the 10 years of the sosial media.
02:15I think they are not formed. And I think that it's a good measure.
02:18The announcement comes after Australia passed the world's first ban on social media use
02:27for children on the 16th in December. Other European countries are also considering
02:32similar measures, including the United Kingdom and France.
02:39A 14-year-old student who stabbed and gravely wounded an arts teacher in France acted with
02:45premeditation, a prosecutor said on Wednesday, telling investigators he was driven by hatred.
02:52The 60-year-old victim, who was stabbed multiple times by the student during class, remains in a
02:58serious condition after the attack on Tuesday at La Guichard Secondary School in Saint-Henri-sur-Mer
03:03in the VA department, southeastern France. According to the public prosecutor, the student,
03:09now held on suspicion of attempted murder, admitted taking a knife from his family's kitchen
03:15specifically to carry out the attack, stabbing the teacher three to four times in front of around
03:2120 other poo pills. The poo pill fled the classroom before being caught in the school yard and arrested.
03:29La Guichard School was evacuated after the attack in the early afternoon and Wednesday's lessons were
03:34cancelled, a regional education official said. The stabbing is the latest violent incident in
03:40French schools that has prompted calls for further security measures and debate about youth violence
03:46against educators.
03:52Prime Minister Selina, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews. Of course, I have to start with the
03:57very dramatic situation that's going on in Ukraine. Obviously, the war continues, but the temperatures are
04:03now really dropping below minus 20 percent. Some argue this is now a humanitarian situation.
04:09What is going to bring this war to an end?
04:11I think it's important that the negotiations which has started for peace still continues. And I know that
04:18these days actually here in United Arab Emirates, they are hosting the next stage of negotiations for peace
04:26with Ukrainians, Russians and Americans. But I think European leaders as well need to be more
04:33active as we are in Baltic countries with helping Ukraine and as well with negotiations. Because I think
04:42it's important that Zelenskyy feels this back of Ukraine, sorry, of Europeans. And always it's important
04:50that we as European leaders are here with him right behind him or next to the shoulder of Zelenskyy and
04:57all the Ukrainian people.
04:58And Prime Minister, that's a great point because many Europeans go and look at the state of negotiations
05:03and go, this is a war in Europe. Ukrainians are Europeans. And yet, where is the European voice
05:09at the table? Why are we not there? Is this now the time to appoint an envoy that represents the EU vis-a-vis
05:15Russia? We started this negotiation about, yes, we really need an envoy. Probably the question is
05:21who it will be. And I think we have many options. I'm ready to go if it's needed. But I think as well,
05:28European leaders from Germany or France should be the ones, as well as UK, which is a member of
05:35Coalition of Willing, should be the ones who are actually at the table together with Americans,
05:41helping Ukraine to be in those very tough negotiations.
05:45So just so we understand, and Europeans obviously watching our show understand,
05:49there was a time in which the idea of talking directly to Russia was seen as a negative thing.
05:54What you're saying now is that approach needs to change. And it's not something dramatic of
06:00negative. Talking to Russia now, it's simply realpolitik. The EU needs to engage with them.
06:05I think the EU needs to engage in diplomacy. You always need to talk. But we need to isolate and still,
06:11yes, have sanctions on Russia, have this push on Russia's income for them to not be able to boost
06:19up their military, not just European countries, but all of the countries. But we have to be on
06:24negotiations table because Ukrainians themselves had, has started negotiate. So why should Europeans not
06:32to negotiate? The person that takes this job, potentially this envoy to speak to, to Russia,
06:38engage in talks. This is going to be a difficult appointment because the Russians have said,
06:42we don't want to talk to Kayakalas. In a normal world, perhaps you'd think the top European
06:46diplomat would take that job. It's clear it cannot be her. Do you have an idea, a profile, someone that
06:52would make the 27 feel comfortable and represented? It's a tough job to fill.
06:56I think there could be three leaders from Europe as it was before. I would always support as well our
07:04good friend Donald Tusk from Poland because he really understands the mentality of Russians.
07:10And it could be Merz, it could be whatever who wants. Macron maybe is ready. But I think we need to
07:17include Keir Starmer from UK because he's the one who is leading Coalition of Willing as well.
07:22And that's a very important point because we've seen this week, there's a sort of closer now
07:26relationship again with the UK and the EU. The UK says they want to give the safe joining this
07:32program with defence another try. Do you want them to participate in this union of defence when it
07:38comes to the EU, but also Europe? You know, I think it's a good point where
07:44as never before since Brexit, we are as close to UK and we need to have good eyes as Europeans.
07:51I'm now speaking from European perspective because as Europeans, we really need those good
07:57relationships. We don't need to isolate ourselves. So therefore, I think we need to put closer UK
08:04because they are actually working together in those coalition of willing talks with Ukraine and
08:10helping a lot Ukraine as well. And this is about peace in Europe and the UK is Europe.
08:15And so you say the UK in the safe universe mechanism. That's a good idea. It's a natural partner.
08:21It could be. It could be. But it depends. Are UK as well then delivering some finances?
08:27And they got to pay.
08:27Yes, they got to pay because those resources are from European funds, European Union funds. So if UK
08:33want to be in, they have to as well finance something of a safe instrument.
08:37I got to look up to next week. However, there's an important summit that will happen in Brussels,
08:42informal. Mario Draghi will be there this week. Once again, he gave a speech saying,
08:47this is a time for Europe to act and behave like a true union and potentially even a federation.
08:54Is that something you can agree with? I think it's time for Europe really to act.
08:59We are as Baltic countries spending 5%. Was it easy for our military? No, it was not easy. So we have
09:07to be ready to do more than it's expected, maybe sometimes from ourselves. And yes, we need to step
09:13out of our comfort zone. Otherwise, we will not get what actually our society is demanding from us.
09:20It will not be easy. It will be messy. But we can agree on capital market. We can agree on reducing
09:25bureaucracy. Because from one side, our businesses and people are saying, is there too much bureaucracy?
09:31But somehow we need to get out of this loop that we are creating new normatives and new directives.
09:37And actually, we really can like to get rid of so many difficult rules just to simplify everything.
09:44I have done it in my country. I think Europe as well can do it.
09:47You also mentioned 5% GDP. It comes with very difficult for military, out of GDP.
09:54It comes with very difficult political negotiations around the budget. It's not easy.
09:58Marty Draghi suggests no country can ensure their defense now at this scale. The answer is joint debt,
10:05the euro bonds. Is that something you go, okay, let's give it a try again.
10:09We use safe instrument as Latvia, as our country. I think we need to rethink and re-decide what is
10:18really affordable debt for European countries, because this debt was out of crisis in 2008. So we decided on
10:26those rules. Now we are in 2026. We need to have different rules. So those percentages-
10:33So it's not a no. It's not a no to join debt, what are you saying?
10:35It's not a no. We need to rethink those issues. Euro bonds, I'm sure there are many options what we can do.
10:45But I really think that we have to move forward, not just to discuss. I'm ready to act. And I know we had an EPP family who is ready to act as well.
10:56And just as a final question, of course, we're meeting here in Dubai at the world's government's
11:01summit. Why reach out to the Gulf? Is this a real diplomatic engagement or just necessity? Because
11:07President Trump, obviously with the tariffs, has forced that now, this diversification of trade.
11:13I see it's a good bridge opportunity for our countries to do more politically,
11:18in our diplomatic levels, as well as economically. We can learn from each other a lot.
11:22So, and those partnerships can really bring peace more and negotiations, discussions than war.
11:29And if both countries, both regions can benefit, I would always sit till the end,
11:35but not to do everything, but to prevent war and to end the war in Ukraine and in the Gulf region as well.
11:43Well, Prime Minister Vika Selina, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews.
Comments