اروپا تودی: ادعای پیروزی اوربان در نشست اتحادیه اروپا درباره اوکراین و ایران

euronews (بزبان فارسی)

اروپا تودی: ادعای پیروزی اوربان در نشست اتحادیه اروپا درباره اوکراین و ایران  ساعت ۸ به وقت بروکسل بیننده برنامه جدید و اصلی صبحگاهی یورونیوز باشید. تنها در ۲۰ دقیقه در جریان مهمترین خبرهای روز قرار می‌گیرید.  لب بیشتر : http://parsi.euronews.com/2026/03/20/europe-today-orban-claims-victory-at-tense-eu-summit-focused-on-ukraine-and-iran  مشترک شوید: یورونیوز به یازده زبان دیگر در دسترس شماست

Transcript

00:14Good morning, it is Friday the 20th of March. I'm Maeve McMahan and you're watching Europe

00:20Today, your daily dose of European news and analysis, live here on Euronews. Coming up

00:26after hours and hours of talks, a tense e-summit in Brussels has come to an end. After over 12

00:33or 13

00:33hours of meetings inside the Europa building, leaders have called it a day. From a proposed

00:39loan to Ukraine to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, their agenda was packed, but war-tone

00:44Ukraine's President Zelenskyy left empty-handed. Once again, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

00:49blocked a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, holding up the deal over an oil dispute

00:55between Budapest and Kyiv. EU Council President Kostya was fuming. Leaders also discussed the

01:01spike in energy prices due to the ongoing escalation in the Middle East and the blockage of the Strait

01:06of Hormuz, but repeated that this is not Europe's war. But speaking on Euronews' special EU summit

01:13show, Trump's former security adviser John Bolton begged to differ. This is Europe's war. And to say,

01:20as some European leaders have, that it's not Europe's war is simply an invitation to Donald

01:26Trump to say, OK, fine, it's not Europe's war. And, you know, Ukraine, it's not America's war.

01:33For more, we can bring in our correspondent Shona Murray, who's been following every twist

01:38and turn of the long EU summit for us. Good morning, Shona. So John Bolton there saying this

01:44is Europe's war. EU leaders say it's not. Who's right?

01:49Well, two things can be true at the same time, Maeve. I think EU leaders can objectively say that

01:54this isn't actually their war. They weren't consulted. They're not party to the conflict.

01:58They're not sending military assets to intervene on either side. They're calling for de-escalation.

02:04In fact, some of them extol the virtues of this potential war if it were to take out the tyrannical

02:09regime in Tehran. But at the same time, Europe has to deal with this war, potentially migratory

02:15routes towards Europe. And also, moreover, the implications being the skyrocketing gas and oil

02:21prices that are definitely hitting the European economy. So problematically, it is Europe's war.

02:27Now, yesterday, we heard some European leaders, including Japan, said that they'll try to chart

02:31a way forward to securing the Strait of Ormuz, potentially diplomatically, because they ruled out

02:36sending any sort of military mission. In addition, John Bolton is also right, because if Europe

02:43decides to, let's say, condemn or criticise Donald Trump for this war and the impact it's

02:47having on them, he may decide, well, I won't be selling any more weapons to Ukraine, and

02:51I won't be supporting Ukraine from a military intelligence perspective. So they have to thread

02:55carefully. Maeve.

02:57And Shona, yet another summit overshadowed by a Hungarian veto, and President Costa we could

03:02see visibly furious. Fill us in.

03:07Well, you know, we've been here before, Victor Orban. He's been in power for 16 years, and

03:11he has blocked things at EU Council level before. But this was the most confrontation and angry,

03:17confrontation and angry I've ever seen sort of EU leaders. Afterwards, people like the

03:21Swedish Prime Minister saying that this was full of anger, that the clashes were very bad.

03:26We had Friedrich Mertz, the German Chancellor, saying that Orban was violating the very foundational

03:30principles of cooperation at EU level. Bart de Weyver, the Belgian Prime Minister, also making

03:36the point that he can't believe that Victor Orban endorsed this loan before Christmas,

03:40and now he's not going to execute it. As we know, the whole idea is that Victor Orban is

03:44saying he's blocking 90 billion euros for Ukraine, unless the Djurgut pipeline,

03:49passaging Russian oil to Slovakia-Hungary is fixed. So last night, Antonio Costa, the president

03:55of the European Council, was asked about this by our own colleague Jorge. And he responded in very

04:00strong terms, essentially accusing Orban of blackmail.

04:04The leaders take the floor to clear condemn the attitude from Victor Orban, to remember

04:13that once a deal, a deal is a deal, and all the leaders need to honour their word. And nobody

04:24can blackmail the European Council. Nobody can blackmail the European Union institutions.

04:31Antonio Costa, president of the European Council there, making the point that there has to be

04:35some sort of resolution to this. But at the same time, Maeve, Victor Orban has successfully

04:40blocked this loan. There's a consensus also, Maeve, that he's in the middle of an election cycle,

04:46a general election, and he's using this as a sort of a soapbox to speak to the Hungarian voters back

04:51home, that he's a sort of a strong man that has huge control at EU level. And in that way,

04:56he'd be right. Maeve?

04:57Well, indeed, those elections, Shona, taking place on the 12th of April, what's at stake here?

05:03Well, I mean, for Victor Orban, lots at stake for the European Union, lots at stake,

05:07particularly for Ukraine, because Victor Orban has made it his business to block not just the

05:1290 billion euro loan, but he's also blocking the passage of the Ukraine, becoming a member of the

05:17European Union. And he spoke to our Europe Today editor Maria Tadeo last night, and he accused the

05:24European Union of actually meddling in the Hungarian elections, saying that they're trying to push,

05:29that there's an actual policy to push him out of government. Now, remember, he is trailing in the

05:33polls and the opposition leader, Peter Major, is doing very well in the rural constituencies,

05:38which are key for Victor Orban. But take a listen to that conversation last night.

05:42Here in Brussels, many of them, especially EPP, think that the only way out of this situation is

05:49that the national government lose the election and the pre-Ukrainian government will be formed.

05:54This here is not just a hope, it's a program, may I say. Even they finance the Hungarian opposition from

05:59here.

05:59It's Ursula von der Leyen. You say they have a program. Who is the program? And would you argue Ursula

06:04von der Leyen

06:05wants you out of government?

06:06All the European institutions, including parties and the Commission, would like to have a change

06:12in Hungary of the government, and they finance it, yes.

06:15Victor Orban there, speaking to our Maria Tadeo. And before that, of course, Euronews's

06:19Shona Murray giving a very comprehensive update on that EU summit last night. And of course,

06:24President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also joined those talks via video link to discuss the ongoing situation in

06:30his country and the fact that his country will suffer dearly without this loan. Last month,

06:34we saw the IMF had to disperse $1.5 billion to keep the country running. For more on The View

06:40from

06:40Kyiv, I'm joined here in the studio by Euronews's Ukraine correspondent, that is Sasha Vakilina.

06:45So another very tough summit for Ukraine with Antonio Kosta very, very angry, a man who's normally

06:51very mild-mannered. Indeed, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy being very, very disappointed, Maeve. This was a rare

06:57occasion when Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not here at the council himself in Brussels. He only connected,

07:02as you say on the video link. This is not something that we're used to while covering

07:06the EU councils here. Apart from the €90 billion launders, another step that Hungary is blocking

07:14is the new package of sanctions against Russia. So all of that, this is an impasse that we're in now.

07:20And Viktor Orbán, you know, insisted that he's not going to move anyway, that he's not going to

07:26change his mind or have any sort of change of heart until the moment that the oil is flowing through

07:33Druzhba, the pipeline that was damaged by the Russian attack at the end of January,

07:37and which both Ukraine and the European Union promised to fix. Let's take a listen to what Viktor

07:43Orbán had to say. We would like to get the oil which is ours from the Ukrainians,

07:48which is now blocked by the Ukrainians. I will never support any kind of decision here,

07:53which is in favour of Ukraine. Still, the Hungarians are not able to get the oil which belong to us.

07:58Viktor Orbán insists that the oil is blocked by Ukraine and the Ukrainians,

08:05not because of the Russian attack on the pipeline infrastructure. Now,

08:09Vladimir Zelensky indeed was very disappointed when he addressed the leaders and also when he

08:15delivered his usual and traditional evening address. But he did insist that he hopes that

08:20the European leaders will find the solution and will find a way to unblock this loan for Ukraine.

08:27This is what he said. We are confident that Europe will stand by us and find a way to deliver

08:37on what has already been agreed. I would like to thank every leader who stands with us on these issues,

08:42because this is a matter of protecting the lives of our people and safeguarding normality.

08:49Volodymyr Zelensky there. And Sasha, how will Ukraine now manage without this money?

08:54Ukraine will have to find the solution, but also the timeline is very interesting,

08:58because there's not much time left now. Ukraine will be running out of money with this big financial

09:02hole looming. In just a couple of weeks, Kyiv said that they might find the solution to stretch it a

09:08little

09:09bit, but not too much. Ukraine's finance minister spoke to your news as well during the during the summit.

09:16And this is what he said about Kyiv's way forward. It's definitely not welcoming news from

09:24Europe, from Brussels. But I think that all our counterparts and countries which support Ukraine

09:32are doing their best to secure Ukraine's financial needs for the next two years. That's why I'm confident

09:39enough that rather sooner than later, we will be able to get access for this 90 billion euro.

09:45The sooner the better for Ukraine, but also for the European Union regarding delivering its promise,

09:50and already the decision that has been agreed upon in December. Now, not a single decision when it comes to

09:55aid for Ukraine from the European Union is an easy one. There are always like consultations and talks and

10:00rounds and rounds of negotiations. So this is why it's specifically disappointed. Regarding the timeline, though,

10:07for Druzba pipeline now, it is expected to be fixed the earliest in the second half of April. Now, the

10:14question is,

10:14how much time will it take from that moment onwards for Hungary past the elections, of course, to unblock

10:22the package and unblock that loan? It's pretty gripping. Whatever happens, of course, we will report it.

10:26Sasha Vakilina, thank you so much for that update. Now, you might remember that this EU summit was

10:32actually meant to focus on competitiveness and boosting the European economy. An EU leaders retreat

10:38in February had actually set the scene. EU leaders want to deepen the single market, make it easier for

10:43startups and scaling up across EU borders. In our special summit show last night, EU news editor

10:48Maria Tadeo spoke to the former Italian prime minister, Enrico Letta, the author of that famous

10:53paper, One Europe, One Market. It was supposed to be the European Council for competitiveness. The

11:00European leaders, they have to intervene on both sides. Immediate interventions to lower the cost of

11:08energy today. But they have to continue working on implementing the reports on how to strengthen

11:15European economy, integrating the single market, creating this plan, One Europe, One Market. That

11:21is for the next months and next years. The main problem with Trump, you know, is Trump is setting the

11:28agenda every day in a different way. The European leaders, they have to be very, very focused on their

11:35own agenda that is fundamental. So a bit of a cold shower there from Enrico Letta, reminding

11:40EU leaders that despite the fact that their summit was derailed by ongoing crisis, in a world dominated

11:46by President Trump and geopolitical competition, Europe needs to respond fast by completing the

11:51single market, which allows, of course, the free movement of goods, capital and services and

11:56people. EU leaders also dived deep into the topic of ETS. That's a huge chunk of Brussels' climate

12:02policy that aspires to make big polluters pay. If you haven't heard of ETS, our Jakob Janos has you covered.

12:11Spring is coming to Brussels, but all your reporter hears when he goes outside is…

12:16ETS. ETS. ETS. ETS. ETS. ETS. ETS scheme.

12:21And that is because 10 EU countries are in open revolt against the bloc's flagship climate policy.

12:26But hold on. What actually is the ETS? And why is there such a massive backlash against it?

12:33ETS, so emissions trading system, is essentially Europe's carbon market. And it works on a simple

12:40polluter pays principle. Heavy industries, power plants and airlines must buy allowances to cover

12:46the carbon they emit into the atmosphere. It is used for two main goals. To force companies to cut

12:54their greenhouse emissions and to push them to invest in sustainable green technologies. In the last 20 years,

13:00the ETS has slashed greenhouse gas emissions by 39% and has generated over 260 billion euros to fund clean

13:09energy. But 10 member states, including Italy, Poland and Austria, say the system is moving too fast.

13:17Italian industry minister Adolfo Urso even called the ETS a tax with a perverse effect,

13:23warning it prevents Europe from competing globally. And critics argue that with energy prices already

13:30soaring from the war in Iran. Adding high carbon costs creates an existential risk for European

13:36businesses. And here is an example. The chemical sector alone reports that over 100 facilities have

13:42shut down, wiping out 75,000 jobs. And that is why Italy is pushing to suspend the system entirely.

13:50And the rest demand the EU extend free carbon allowances beyond 2034.

13:55Look, I know all of that sounds a bit technical, but one thing is clear. The energy transition is

14:02no longer just a climate goal. It has become a battle for European security and industrial survival.

14:13Jakob Janus reporting for us there. And now to talk us through the dramatic

14:17summit yesterday that raises more questions now than answers. We're joined here on set by Hildegard

14:22Bentola, the senior German conservative member of the European Parliament from the CDU party.

14:27Thank you so much for joining us. So quite a night there. Pretty rough for Ukraine. What's the plan B

14:32now?

14:35Well, for the time being, we need more consultations now.

14:42Well, nobody expected this kind of outcome. But I think, you know, there was the offer to inspect

14:49the pipeline, maybe, you know, which was not, you know, well perceived because Slovak and Hungarian

14:55participants couldn't attend. So maybe there's a another attempt, you know, to bring...

15:00So when you say nobody expected this outcome, you mean nobody expected that veto last night from

15:05the Hungarian prime minister? I think not to that extent. So this is why we do not have yet a

15:10plan B

15:11and, you know, leaders left without, no. And are you furious also with Viktor Orban the same way

15:17Antonio Costa was? Yes, of course. But I think it's a tactic we know. So and this is why I

15:26mean, you know,

15:27there were some difficulties at the beginning. And this is, I think, why the presidential commission

15:32reached out, you know, with this idea to inspect the pipeline. And as we know, it didn't went well.

15:36If it had gone well, maybe, you know, the outcome was, would have been different to accommodate.

15:42Indeed, because this should have been done months ago. Exactly.

15:44The war in the Middle East, it's entering now its 20th day. What is the EU doing to stop it?

15:49And is this

15:49Europe's war? Well, it's not from the beginning Europe's war. And Israel didn't ask, you know,

15:56for EU participation. We now see the effects, the economic effects of the war. But I would also

16:05think we need some strategic patience, because we are in the third week, I expected ongoing for

16:11two, three more weeks. But then and this was also seen from the leaders of the Gulf, you know,

16:18they are also very furious about Iran. And I think there will be a reshaping of the Middle East.

16:23And, you know, do you support the war? Do you support what Israel is doing now,

16:27especially in Lebanon? Well, supporting is said too much. But I think it's a it's a huge,

16:35I understand the opportunity for Israel, because now to fight Hezbollah, what Lebanon leaders also

16:42want to do, the Lebanese army wants to do, it is a big opportunity to

16:48throw back Hezbollah strongly, because now they lack the support of Iran. And I think,

16:55you know, this could reshape really the relations between Lebanon and Israel. And this would,

17:01you know, bring a lot of more security to Israel, which was the problem all the time.

17:05But are you concerned that one million people now are displaced in Lebanon?

17:09Sure. I mean, the war always brings displaced people with it. But we also have to remind that

17:14there are thousands of displaced Israelis in the north of Israel, because they were attacked

17:20constantly for the last two years from Hezbollah. So Hezbollah took the opportunity after the attack

17:26of Hamas to attack also Israel very strongly. So this is an escalation which took place over the

17:32last two years. And I do understand that's a whole concept. It's not only throwing back Iran's

17:38nuclear ballistic missiles, but also the immediate threat through terror organizations, which

17:42aggress Israel every day.

17:45And another big topic this week, your party celebrated 50 years with a big celebration

17:50that was overshadowed by the big scandal facing Manfred Weber, your boss,

17:54for working very closely with the far right. Should Manfred Weber resign, do you think?

17:58Oh, no. No, of course not. But we should have a very clear line regarding the ESN,

18:03because this is mainly constituted of AFD members. So we have a very clear

18:11strategy not to work with them. And we should not do this on any levels if it's true.

18:15But he did it.

18:16Yeah, but he said also it's not needed in numbers and it's not needed in content. And we should be

18:20very clear about that and show that they are not needed and have no influence on our own.

18:25And apart from the WhatsApp group, is there more encounters taking place with the AFD?

18:28Dinners, lunches?

18:30Not that I know. And I think I'm one of those who, you know, is very much asking for a

18:35very,

18:36very strict line. And I think we should, we will discuss this in the next group meeting. And

18:40I'll be a strong supporter of keeping this very clear, clear red line. And I think it should

18:44also be acceptable for other members.

18:47But it just finally did it dampen the mood at the big party this week?

18:51Well, I mean, it's a very German issue. I think it was not reported on,

18:55you know, in other countries. So maybe that's, well, it's being reported here on Euronews live

19:00to the world. And Ms. Bente, thank you so much for coming into us here on Europe Today,

19:04on Euronews. Take care.

19:06And that, of course, brings this edition of Europe Today to an end. Thank you so much for tuning in.

19:11You can read more about any of the stories we're covering and, of course,

19:14more in-depth analysis on that EU Summit on Euronews.com. Thanks again for tuning in.

19:18Take care and see you soon on Euronews.

19:31Bye.

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