00:00Thank you so much. Great to be here.
00:01Great to have you with us here on the programme.
00:03Today, of course, a big day for you.
00:05We're expecting tense talks in that foreign affairs minister.
00:08It was meant to be just a formality, really, to sign off on this sanctions package.
00:12What about this blockage, though, coming from Hungary and Slovakia?
00:16Well, I think it's a shame how they behave.
00:19I mean, every delay that we have in the adoption of a sanctions package is a failure for Europe.
00:26We need to increase the support for Ukraine.
00:28We need to increase the pressure on Russia, hence the sanctions.
00:32And I expect them to behave like Europeans today, but I'm not sure.
00:38And Sweden and Finland, you push very hard for this latest package of sanctions.
00:42Will you see it then as a personal failure as well if you can't get it through?
00:45Well, I only think about the Ukrainians.
00:47And every day that passes when we don't put the maximum amount of pressure on Russia is a failure.
00:54So we proposed from Swedish and Finnish side,
00:57we proposed, I would say, three things.
00:59So it's the full services maritime ban.
01:02And then it's stopping the import of fertilizers,
01:06which is still the third biggest import from Russia,
01:09feeding the Russian war economy.
01:12And then, number three, stopping the export of luxury products from Europe to Russia,
01:19because I think it's a shame that they can still go on shopping as usual.
01:24And this announcement was meant to be made by Ursula von der Leyen tomorrow symbolically in Kyiv,
01:29four years since the full-scale invasion began.
01:31Will she have to go now empty-handed?
01:33We don't know yet.
01:34But I'm always optimistic.
01:37I really hope that we can put enough pressure on these two countries.
01:42But we'll see.
01:44There is this council meeting today.
01:46And then tonight, the ambassadors will meet again.
01:49So I've not given up yet.
01:51Because it's not just the sanction package we're talking about.
01:53It's also the 90 billion euro lifeline that Hungary is now blocking.
01:56And we have decided upon that.
01:58So it's a disgrace that they don't let it pass.
02:03But we will continue to put pressure on them.
02:05I'm afraid that there is a lot of domestic politics in all of this,
02:10with elections coming up in Hungary.
02:12And it's a frustration, of course, when we see that Ukrainians are suffering every day.
02:19And also that Russia is getting weaker and weaker.
02:23So now is the time to change the calculus.
02:26And what about the talks to end the war, the U.S.-brokered talks?
02:30Any faith in them?
02:31And is it time to have an EU envoy to speak to Vladimir Putin?
02:34Well, the main problem is, regardless of who is there to talk,
02:38is that Russia still doesn't want peace.
02:41That is why we need to change this calculus, like I said.
02:45And this war has been a strategic mistake from the beginning for Russia.
02:51Because they wanted a Russian Ukraine.
02:54They got a European Ukraine.
02:55They wanted to stop the expansion of NATO.
02:58They got Sweden and Finland in NATO.
03:01They have lost allies.
03:03They have lost influence.
03:04They have lost over one million lives.
03:08So we still need to put more pressure on them, because they are weakening.
03:14And that is the only way to have them interested in serious talks about peace.
03:19And what about EU membership for Ukraine?
03:20Would you support this by 2027?
03:23We are great supporters of EU membership for Ukraine.
03:27And we also support their path towards EU membership.
03:31I mean, still, it's a merits-based process.
03:33It's important that they can reach the levels that are required in different areas.
03:39But we will do everything we can to make sure that they will be able to become members.
03:44But 2027, not realistic?
03:46It's a very early date.
03:50But we will support them in any way to make sure that they can reach that goal.
03:55And just, Minister, another big story we're following here on Euronews.
03:58The big announcement from Donald Trump regarding the new global tariffs.
04:01How should the EU respond to that?
04:03With unity and with strength, like we've done before.
04:08But let me be very clear.
04:10Tariffs are taxes.
04:12They are very harmful for businesses, for consumers, and for the economy overall.
04:19I mean, now I expect the US to explain what is the way forward for them.
04:26But, of course, we want to have less tariffs.
04:31Well, what I prefer is no tariffs.
04:34And if there are more tariffs, should the EU use more stricter tools?
04:39A trade war is not what we need.
04:43But if needed, we should be able to show strength and above all unity.
04:48Okay, Minister, I'm not mentioning your words.
04:49Thank you so much for coming into us today on Europe Today.
04:52All the best for that Foreign Affairs Minister's meeting.
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