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Europe Today: Trump's State of the Union; EU leaders weigh options on Ukraine
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READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/02/25/europe-today-trumps-state-of-the-union-eu-leaders-weigh-options-on-ukraine
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00:14Good morning, it is Wednesday the 25th of February. I'm Maeve MacMahon and this is Europe Today.
00:21That's your daily dose of European news and analysis live here on Euronews.
00:27Coming up, while you were sleeping, US President Donald Trump delivered his annual State of the Union speech.
00:34Heavily focused on the economy, it also touched on immigration, Iran, tariffs and NATO defence spending.
00:41It comes as a fresh CNN poll says 32% of Americans do not think Trump has his priorities right.
00:49And 68% say he has not addressed the country's most important problems.
00:54For more, we're joined here on set by our EU news editor, Maria Tadeo. Good morning.
00:59Good morning.
01:00Look, this is a real American tradition, right? The State of the Union. But Europeans are keeping a very close
01:04eye.
01:05Well, Maeve, they have to. And yes, you're right. This is a very American politics event.
01:10Of course, this is really about the President of the United States setting out his vision.
01:14And of course, the timing matters, too, because we're halfway through the Trump presidency.
01:18The midterms are coming up.
01:20And obviously, the President, President Trump, he has to sell his project to the American people.
01:25And also hope for a sort of a reset, too, because as you alluded to with polls and his approval
01:30rate,
01:31you can really see that the cost of living in the U.S., the idea of grocery prices,
01:36all of this is really biting into the popularity of the U.S. president.
01:39There's perception that perhaps he spent too much time focused on external politics and the geopolitics
01:44for a president who promised to put America first.
01:48But nonetheless, yes, Europeans obviously follow and monitor pretty much every speech because,
01:54and I think on this we can agree, this is a president who is unpredictable.
01:58So when you look at the speech yesterday, a lot of that focused on the U.S.
02:02He talked about migration, the idea that illegal arrivals now into the U.S.
02:07through the southern border with Mexico have dramatically collapsed.
02:10And of course, that is factual because of this very hardline policy that he's pursued.
02:15He talked about a border in a country that is now sealed.
02:18He also talked about the economy, the stock market, which is an index that he really likes to track and
02:23monitor.
02:24The question is whether that reflects to the economy of everyday Americans.
02:27But from a European perspective, this was really a policy speech in which they did not get a lot of
02:33clues
02:33in terms of where the foreign policy of the U.S. is going because there was barely no mention of
02:39Ukraine.
02:39There was only a very brief but also in passing when it comes to NATO,
02:43which he said now our allies pay for that protection and they got to pay.
02:47He also said everything that we sent to Ukraine, we now do through NATO.
02:50And that is through a mechanism in which the Europeans pay.
02:54So the U.S. is no longer paying for this.
02:57And then he mentioned Iran.
02:59And that is relevant, of course, in the context of this military ramp up that we've seen from the U
03:03.S.
03:03in the region saying, quote, the preference is to find a diplomatic solution.
03:08But Iran has to pronounce the magic words.
03:11And that is they will never get a nuclear weapon.
03:14In any case, he said the U.S. will not allow it.
03:17Interestingly, of course, there was a lot of concern.
03:19Perhaps the Greenland may come up or could come up.
03:21And it was not the case.
03:23So overall, yes, a speech dedicated to U.S. policy that mostly centered on U.S. policy.
03:29But what about tariffs?
03:30Well, that's a very good question because he did mention the tariffs.
03:33He said and vindicated the tariff policy.
03:36We know that this is a sort of doctrine that Donald Trump has pursued.
03:39Certainly on an intellectual level, this idea that tariffs are needed and the U.S. should have implemented that for
03:45decades now.
03:46He did say the tariffs are working and this is a policy that is going to stay.
03:50It is relevant, of course, because the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the tariffs that were approved last year
03:55connected to Liberation Day, saying they were designed in a way that was illegal.
03:59Nonetheless, Donald Trump insisted tariffs one way or another will stay in place.
04:04Let's take a look.
04:05One of the primary reasons for our country's stunning economic turnaround were tariffs.
04:12They were ripping us so badly.
04:13You all know that.
04:14Everybody knows it.
04:16Even the Democrats know it.
04:17They just don't want to say it.
04:18Then just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court.
04:22It just came down.
04:24It came down.
04:25Very unfortunate ruling.
04:27So despite the disappointing ruling, these powerful country saving will remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal
04:37statutes.
04:38And that's, of course, Donald Trump.
04:41Maeve, the catch, however, he talks about totally saved, totally tested and totally legal tariffs.
04:46The issue, of course, is last year when he implemented the Liberation Day tariffs, the reciprocal, quote unquote, tariffs.
04:52He also said they were illegal.
04:53The Supreme Court had a very different opinion for the Europeans.
04:57However, this is critical because a deal was agreed last year, a bad deal tilted in favor of the U
05:02.S.
05:03Of course, 15 percent tariff rate.
05:05The Europeans say that in this chaos around global trade, they do not want to end up in a situation
05:10in which they pay more.
05:11They agree that a deal is a deal and that 15 percent really is the top, the ceiling.
05:16The concern, of course, is that the U.S. will now implement other tariffs.
05:20When you add up the tally, European companies could end up having to pay more.
05:24And that is something that both the Commission and also the Trade Commissioner, who had a call with the G7,
05:28too, and has been in contact with the U.S.,
05:30had said the EU simply cannot accept a deal.
05:33It's a deal that 15 percent was already high and bad enough.
05:36Tariffs tripled.
05:37It cannot go beyond that.
05:38As you say, tariffs causing a lot of stress here in Brussels.
05:41Maria Taddeo, your news is EU weather.
05:42Thank you so much for all those details.
05:45And to dive a little deeper, coming up, we'll be joined by the Irish politician and MEP Barry Andrews,
05:51a member of the centre-right Fianna Fáil party, the party of the Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
05:56Barry Andrews is a former government minister and a barrister by trade.
06:01Barry Andrews, welcome to Europe Today.
06:03Thank you so much for joining us.
06:05Did you manage to watch the State of the Union speech?
06:07What did you think of it from a European lens?
06:09Well, it was two hours long.
06:11Apparently, it was the longest in recent history.
06:14So, no is the answer.
06:15I didn't see all of it, but I obviously watched extracts.
06:18I mean, I think the one that, part of it that everybody's very concerned about is Iran.
06:22And while he didn't really disengage or de-escalate, he did say that they are in negotiations.
06:29So, that's positive.
06:31That's something we're all very pleased to hear about.
06:33But he rambled a lot and there was a lot of fact-checkers kept very busy during the two hours
06:39about his claims about the economy and how tariffs are impacting the economy.
06:43And I think there's a lot of dispute about the actual impact of tariffs on the US economy.
06:48Tariffs is a very sensitive issue also for lawmakers here in Brussels.
06:51And we know the EU-US trade deal, it's on hold for now.
06:55But the European Commission is putting a lot of pressure on you, on the Parliament, to pass it through.
07:00What's your view here?
07:01Well, we're not the only ones that are not proceeding with trade agreements with the US.
07:06India was supposed to be in Washington this week to finalise a trade agreement.
07:11Japan, Taiwan.
07:12There are many others that are now slow-walking, effectively, the trade agreements that they had with the United States.
07:19So, I think it's impossible for us to do this in circumstances where nobody is sure whether the new tariffs
07:26themselves are legal.
07:27They are going to be subject to legal scrutiny.
07:31I've no doubt about that.
07:32And we're not even sure whether or not there will be refunds for the former tariffs.
07:37So, there's so much uncertainty.
07:39And ultimately, it's consumers and businesses that pay the cost for this uncertainty.
07:44So, it's much more prudent, in my view, for us to wait until that legal certainty is provided.
07:48And just moving on to Ukraine, we saw yesterday Ursula von der Leyen showing up a little bit empty-handed
07:53because that €90 billion loan is on hold.
07:57She said there's other options, though.
07:58What other options?
07:59Look, there are multiple options available.
08:01There's intergovernmental approaches.
08:03There could be an enhanced cooperation approach.
08:05There could be something around a coalition of the willing.
08:09But ultimately, the sensitivity here, of course, as everybody knows, is that there's an election in Hungary in April.
08:15And the last thing the European Commission wants to do is to walk into the trap set by Orban.
08:20Orban would love to fight this election with Europe breathing down his neck, with forcing him, strong-arming Orban to
08:27do something he really doesn't want to do.
08:28We can't get into that.
08:30So, we have to find a way that excludes Hungary.
08:32I'm not exactly sure what those options are going to be.
08:35But ultimately, we have to provide this €90 billion loan to Ukraine.
08:39By April, they will run out of money.
08:41So, it is absolutely existential for the future of Ukraine.
08:44Another issue, of course, EU membership for Ukraine.
08:46President Zelensky pushing for a date, but Commission President saying we cannot give a date.
08:50What's your view here?
08:51Should they join by 2027?
08:53Absolutely.
08:53I think it's one of the key motivations for Ukrainians to maintain their resilience.
08:59I was there in November.
09:00We went over to Kharkiv with a demining charity, Halo Trust.
09:04And, you know, everybody that visits is just blown away by how amazing they are, how resilient they are, how
09:10tough they are.
09:11But one of the things that really motivates, I find, is that there is a road, a pathway to accession
09:16in the near term.
09:17And so long as that is still there and very much a reality for Ukrainians, I think they will be
09:22able to continue to pursue the war against Russia.
09:25Okay.
09:26Barry Andrews, thank you so much for coming in to us this morning and being our guest here on Europe
09:30Today.
09:30And just yesterday, speaking in Kiev, the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as I said, said it would
09:36not be possible to put a date on Ukraine's EU membership.
09:39Speaking alongside President Zelensky on the anniversary of the four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia,
09:47the Commission President also promised a solution would be found to bridge the country's financing needs.
09:52For more, we can dive a little deeper with our Ukraine correspondent, Sasha Vakalina, who joins us here on set.
09:57Good morning.
09:58So, look, this idea of, you know, there's no date we can put on the table.
10:02That's what the Commission President said.
10:04But, you know, Ukraine wants to join by 2027.
10:07Now, that statement was indeed a cold shower also because, of course, that happened on the fourth anniversary when the
10:14EU leaders were there to show and prove their support for Ukraine.
10:18Now, let's take a little step back.
10:20Now, for Ukraine, the EU membership is something that Ukrainians have been seeking, not now since the full-scale invasion
10:26of Ukraine, but since 2014, since Russia's first invasion.
10:30These were the demonstrations over the revolution of dignity.
10:32So, this is something important now, it feels like, on one hand, first of all, this is something that the
10:37European Union promised Ukraine and committed to it with the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
10:41But also, Ukraine sees this, and this is what's being negotiated here, as part of the EU security guarantees.
10:48And should there be a chance to put an end to Russia's all-out war against Ukraine this year?
10:54How can we proceed in this case for Ukrainians towards the end of the war with the EU guarantees for
11:01Ukraine, which include EU membership?
11:03Let's take a listen to what happened yesterday in Kyiv.
11:05For Ukraine's accession to the EU, the year 2027, is very important for us, and I hope doable, I hope,
11:17so that Putin cannot block our membership for decades.
11:21I understand very well that for you a clear date is also important.
11:25And the date you set is your benchmark that you want to match.
11:30You know that from our side, dates by themselves are not possible.
11:35Commissioner President Ursula von der Leyen and President Zelensky there.
11:37And meanwhile, of course, Sasha, the €90 billion loan is also on hold for Ukraine.
11:43Another awkward point in that meeting.
11:44Absolutely.
11:45So, no timeline, no commitment to the timeline, and also now the loan being blocked.
11:50Also, given the fact that the loan was already agreed upon in December, and there was such an important decision.
11:55Now, Brussels said that they're going to try to find the plan B, but this is not even the plan
11:59B, Maeve.
12:00Now, at this stage, we're much further than that.
12:02And this is when the President of the Commission said that the word cannot be broken, but looks like it
12:07can be blocked.
12:08Let's take a listen to what she had to say.
12:09We call it the steel porcupine loan, because it should give Ukraine the strength of a steel porcupine indigestible for
12:21potential invaders.
12:22We will deliver on the loan, one way or the other.
12:26Let me be very clear, we have different options, and we will use them.
12:30What are those options?
12:32Now, this is indeed 90 billion euros question, because the EU seem to have discussed and to explore all of
12:40those options in December.
12:41And that was the only one that they managed to agree upon, the one that is now blocked.
12:47Indeed, Sasha Vakilina.
12:48Thank you so much for that update, as always.
12:50And now, as we have been reporting here all week on Euronews, Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia are in the midst
12:57of a serious spat over a key pipeline that supplies Russian crude to Central Europe.
13:02In case you hadn't heard of the Druzhba pipeline before this week, here's our Jakob Janis with a refresher.
13:08In the 1960s, the Soviet Union built one of the longest oil pipelines in the world to supply its satellite
13:15states.
13:16It was called Druzhba, which translates to friendship.
13:20And right now, that friendship pipeline is tearing Europe apart.
13:24Let's look at it from the start, shall we?
13:28A month ago, an incident was reported on the pipeline, impacting flows of cheap Russian oil going to Hungary and
13:35Slovakia through Ukraine.
13:37Kiev blamed ongoing Russian strikes for the blaze, saying the constant pounding from the air is delaying repair works.
13:44But Budapest and Bratislava accused Ukraine of lying.
13:49And last Wednesday, they retaliated by halting their own diesel exports to Ukraine until the pipeline is restored.
13:56Two days later, Viktor Orban said it would block a crucial 90 billion euro emergency loan for Ukraine.
14:04And with Russian attacks devastating its internal power generation,
14:08Kiev relies heavily on imported electricity to survive the winter.
14:12And almost half of these imports come directly from Hungary, and Slovakia is another important supplier.
14:20Then, on Monday, Ukrainian forces struck a key Russian pumping station feeding that Druzhba pipeline, aiming to bleed Moscow off
14:28petrodollars.
14:29In response, Slovakia and Hungary demanded the EU investigate if Kiev lied about original damage and completely halted an urgency
14:38electricity to Ukraine.
14:40Which finally brings us to today.
14:43The European Commission is holding an emergency meeting with Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia to try to find alternative oil routes.
14:50But with Croatia refusing to transport Russian oil, it seems the EU diplomatic pipeline is completely blocked.
15:04That's why, Maria, is this pipeline sending politics ablaze.
15:12Well, Maeve, this is now a mess, really.
15:14This is a very messy situation.
15:16It is almost approaching what I would say is an institutional crisis when it comes to the EU,
15:22because obviously there's now a full-on clash between Hungary to a lesser extent Slovakia,
15:27but also the rest of member states who want to facilitate help to Ukraine.
15:32At the same time, this is a question that goes beyond the politics.
15:36It is also very technical because, as you saw there, there is a question of a pipeline,
15:40the Druzhba pipeline, which connects, just to set the scene for our viewers, Russia with Hungary.
15:46It transports cheap Russian oil, but it goes through Ukraine.
15:50This pipeline was, and this is objective, it's a fact, it was damaged at the end of January.
15:56There was an issue, of course, and this is a matter of the crux of this story,
16:01which is, was it a Russian strike or this is just a case in which Ukraine has neglected the reparations
16:06so that oil doesn't transit?
16:08And this is the line that the Hungarian government is pushing.
16:11And I reported extensively on this this week.
16:14On Monday, there was a meeting of foreign ministers and it got very heated.
16:18I was told by a number of sources that the Hungarian minister told his Ukrainian counterpart,
16:23who was connected in this meeting through a conference call, that he was, quote, a liar.
16:28He also snapped at Kayakalas, who is a top European diplomat,
16:31saying you give a non-EU member state more time than you are giving me to reply.
16:37I cannot talk to him directly.
16:39And also, I will not allow at this point that Ukraine criticizes Hungary.
16:43Obviously, this is also very political because there is a very brutal,
16:47aggressive election campaign going on in Hungary.
16:50And this question now has become, for Prime Minister Viktor Orban,
16:53not just a talking point on the campaign, but really a matter of national sovereignty.
16:58At this point, however, and this is a critical question, is who damaged the pipeline
17:02and who's going to fix it?
17:03And that was a question that was put yesterday to President Zelensky in a press conference in Kiev.
17:08And he doubled down.
17:09This is not about Ukraine.
17:11It was Russia.
17:11Let's take a look.
17:13Pipeline was destroyed by Russia.
17:15We have images.
17:18We have everything by satellites of partners.
17:22So he destroyed, I mean, Russia destroyed these pipelines several times.
17:27And that was the Ukrainian, of course, President saying this is not the first time
17:31and this pipeline has been damaged by Russia.
17:34Now, at this stage, what are the solutions?
17:37What does a possible compromise look like?
17:39Well, there's the idea that an inspection could be carried out externally.
17:42But of course, for Ukraine, that is delicate because you're talking about a war zone.
17:46A different number of pipelines have been floated, perhaps, as providing another way to
17:50flow the Russian oil into Hungary.
17:53But of course, the rest of European countries say they do not want to transit Russian oil
17:57because they want to unplug from Russian energy.
18:00And of course, at this stage, the Hungarians really control whether the money gets to Ukraine
18:03and whether the sanctions package goes ahead.
18:06This is a great talking port for their campaign.
18:08I was told at this stage they have no incentive to back down.
18:12But the repercussions are severe because the EU at this point is divided.
18:15And Ukraine, as you saw yesterday, doesn't have the sanctions and they don't have the money.
18:18So what does that mean for these emergency talks taking place today, Maria?
18:22There are emergency talks happening today.
18:24This is at a technical level.
18:26Of course, there's this idea that ultimately this is going to be resolved as a political level
18:30if it can be resolved because it's become such a political issue, too.
18:34You saw the Ukrainians saying we have the satellite images to prove that it was Russia.
18:38The Hungarians, I'm told, they insist the damage was not caused in the strike.
18:42The pipeline is operational.
18:44And there was a fire, yes, but it affected a container, not really the pipeline.
18:48So the oil can't flow.
18:49At this stage, the question is whether other countries like Croatia has been floated to
18:53could step in.
18:54But obviously, that's a big question mark and it's an if.
18:57And then, of course, there's this idea that until the oil flow resumes, right, and it's
19:00got to be Russian oil because the Hungarians insist they do not want to pay for other crude
19:04because it's a cheaper one.
19:06But again, this is a technical question at the stage.
19:08And as it stands, it's very unclear to see what the fix can be.
19:12The Hungarians have no incentive to back down.
19:14And the Ukrainians say this is not a priority at the stage because we didn't break it.
19:18OK, whatever happens.
19:19We've, of course, reported here on EUR News.
19:20Maria Tzejo, our EU news editor.
19:22Thank you so much for keeping across that story for us.
19:25And you can read more about that story about how Hungary hijacked Brussels with their double
19:29veto, leaving Ukraine in limbo on EUR News.com.
19:31But that does bring this edition of Europe Today to an end.
19:34Thank you so much for your company.
19:35As always, take care and see you very soon here on Euronews.
19:38Let's go.
19:45Let's look.
19:47Let's go.
19:47you
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