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Europe Today: G7 gathers in France as Iran rejects Trump's 15-point ceasefire plan
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READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/03/26/europe-today-g7-gathers-in-france-as-iran-rejects-trumps-15-point-ceasefire-plan
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00:14Good morning, it is Thursday the 26th of March. I'm Maeve McMahon and you're watching Europe
00:21Today, your daily digest of European news and analysis in just 20 minutes. Coming up
00:27with wars ongoing in Ukraine and the Middle East, G7 foreign ministers are meeting for crisis talks
00:34today and tomorrow in France. We look at what is uniting and dividing them. And ahead of imminent
00:41parliamentary elections, Hungary is making headlines over an alleged breach of EU trust.
00:46We'll hear from the former European Commission boss, José Manuel Barroso. But first, Iran has
00:51rejected a US-backed 15-point ceasefire plan, even though President Trump insists they want a deal
00:57quote badly. This is the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues with Israel saying it may
01:03occupy Lebanon's south long term. The European Union has sent 100 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon
01:09and is mobilising a further 1 billion to meet needs on the ground. For more, we can head straight over
01:15to Tir Shur in Arabic. That's a city in southern Lebanon and bring in your news correspondent,
01:21Echbal Zain. Good morning, Echbal. Thank you so much for joining us this morning on the programme.
01:25Just first, describe the situation there and tell us how people are holding up.
01:32Good morning, Maeve. So, people are exhausted and somehow feeling isolated, especially after
01:38the Israeli army targeted key bridges linking south areas to north areas of the Latonya River.
01:46Now, movement has become very much difficult. Most people that stayed here in Sour said they stayed
01:53because they have no other choice because at the beginning of the war, the Lebanese government
01:58didn't provide any adequate facilities and any adequate shelters. And also, rent prices in relatively
02:05safer areas have surged far beyond a normal Lebanese citizen can afford. What I can say right now is
02:12that daily life has almost collapsed. Most shops are closed, most pharmacies, most bakeries, also most
02:19fuel stations have shut down. And people fear that in the coming few days, we might suffer from a fuel
02:26shortage and food shortage.
02:29And are people feeling safe there? Is the bombing constant?
02:34Well, it's frequent and unexpected. We can hear the Israeli jets flying at a very low height. Also, the Israeli
02:44drones
02:44and also missiles launched from Hezbollah and Iran could be heard.
02:49And how many people have fled the city?
02:53Well, most of people have already left the city at the beginning of the war and following the Israeli
02:59evacuation order that covered most of the sewer area and mentioned for the first time specific camps
03:06and refugee camps where around 50,000 Palestinian refugee live. So the city is not really empty here.
03:14And just a final point on Trump's comments that potentially there could be peace talks soon.
03:19Do people have any faith or trust in him?
03:23Well, I think not because people don't rely much on Trump's statement because the US president is very much unpredictable.
03:32And also the Israeli talk about expanding a potential buffer zone to let reaches Letani have raised real concerns here.
03:42Okay. Thank you so much for that live update there from southern Lebanon, from Sur.
03:47Now, meanwhile, back here in Brussels, there is discomfort over reports.
03:52The Hungarian foreign minister and the Hungarian government have allegedly been informing Russian authorities about the content of private EU
03:59meetings.
04:00Your news is Maria Tadeo sat down with the former president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso,
04:05and asked him what exactly he thought about these allegations.
04:09These news are indeed very disturbing and greatly concerning because the European Union, you know, it's made on trust.
04:18Yes.
04:18Trust among the member states.
04:21So, in fact, as you mentioned, I was leading many European Union meetings.
04:25And, of course, with Hungary and the others, I respect all countries.
04:29But sometimes there are governments that do not respect some fundamental principles, including this principle that is not a vague
04:38principle.
04:38It's, in fact, the principle that is in the treaty, it's in the Lisbon Treaty, Article 4, Number 3.
04:44It's the duty of sincere cooperation among member states.
04:49So, if one country is now briefing or debriefing other countries on very sensitive matters,
04:57and other countries in this case, Russia being today a clear opponent, not to say an enemy, of the European
05:03Union.
05:03So, of course, it is greatly concerning.
05:05And the clarifications provided so far by the Hungarian government are not really clarifications.
05:14In fact, in a way, it's even worse because, if I understood correctly, according to the media reports I've seen,
05:20the Hungarian foreign minister said that he irregularly briefs not only Russia, but the United States, Turkey, Israel, and Serbia.
05:29Correct.
05:30So, the very fact that the government of the European Union and a NATO country puts at the same level
05:38the United States and Russia,
05:42it's quite strange, I would say.
05:44And I think it raises very important matters of loyalty among member states.
05:51But the question, sir, and obviously you know the tweet is very well, is what can the EU do about
05:56this?
05:56Because the feeling that we get in Brussels is that there are no tools to counter this.
06:01No, there are tools.
06:02But first of all, I think I always thought this is basically political.
06:05So, there are ways of European countries and European institutions to show their concerns
06:12and also somehow politically to act on this matter.
06:16So, it means that tomorrow, if Hungary makes the point, or any country says, we are a sovereign country, we
06:25can do this on our own.
06:27Yes, they are sovereign.
06:28But one thing they should understand is that the others are also sovereign.
06:32So, the others can also meet without Hungary.
06:35So, what does that mean?
06:37It means that tomorrow, for sensitive matters, there is nothing in the treaties that makes it impossible.
06:43The others, the other 27, or in this case, the other 26 or 25, depending on those countries who break
06:50the rules,
06:51not to be in the same room with the others.
06:54In the past, it already happened in a way.
06:57It was not so dramatic.
06:59But you remember when, during the financial crisis, when some countries pushed for a fiscal compact, a fiscal treaty,
07:06I remember, it was the United Kingdom that said, our sovereignty should be respected.
07:12We don't want that treaty.
07:13And at that time, other countries said, look, you have your own sovereignty, but if you don't have that treaty,
07:19okay,
07:19we don't do it with the European Union, but we do it with ourselves.
07:23There are very clear, besides the legal matters, because from a legal point of view,
07:29the European Union can launch infringements if there is a violation of Article 4 of the Lisbon Treaty.
07:35But beyond the legal measures, I think it's even more effectively, politically,
07:40we can always show to a country that behaves like that, not respecting the basic principles of decency,
07:47that the countries can move on politically as well.
07:50So, Mr. Barroso, because this is very important,
07:52your advice for the head of the commission, Father Lyon, for Kayakalas, the capitals right now,
07:57is not to wait for the clarification or the legal assessment, but to simply cut them out.
08:02Don't invite them into meetings.
08:04No, I did not say that.
08:06No.
08:06What I said, not just to the president, basically, this is for the president of the European Council.
08:12This is not for the European Commission and such.
08:15Because it's a matter of breaking the confidence between the countries themselves.
08:19And it is, in fact, leaking information about the European Council.
08:23So, what I think, first of all, they should clarify, if the clarification is not sufficient.
08:30I think, in some matters, the president of the European Council can perfectly say,
08:35now we are going to meet with Hong Kong.
08:37It's very important that we have, in Hong Kong and in all member states,
08:42countries and governments that respect the basic principles of decent behavior and trust.
08:50And if they don't, they, in fact, they should, there should be a reaction of the other countries
08:55and the European institutions.
08:56When you look at the European leadership now, you talk about the different voices
08:59and the different sensitivities.
09:01Who is best representing the interests of the European Union on the global stage?
09:06I know, there is always that debate in Europe about a kind of a face or a...
09:11Yes.
09:12I believe that's not the right approach to European leadership.
09:17The question that we have to ask ourselves, are we in Europe in favor of having someone
09:22in Brussels signing executive orders like the U.S. president?
09:27No, we don't have.
09:28The commission is doing its job.
09:30The president of the European Council is doing its job.
09:31Other governments, namely the governments of the most influential countries, are trying
09:36to do their job.
09:37So it's, by definition, European leadership is more institutional-based than personal-based,
09:43which is not necessarily bad, you see.
09:45And I think it's, with that experience of 22 years in European Union decision-making,
09:50I tell you, we are not going to get in the future, in the foreseeable future, one voice,
09:56one face, one leader.
09:57And although very often I said, I would like to have, because it will be quicker, it will
10:03be more decisive, the reality is that there are also some advantages in avoiding a centralized,
10:09completely centralized leadership, because sometimes we have seen other parts of the
10:14world, it does not work better, because they are only one.
10:19Jose Manuel Broso there, speaking to our Maria Tadeo.
10:23Now, apart from that diplomatic scandal, Hungary is also being criticized for blocking a 90
10:28billion euro loan to Ukraine over the Druspa pipeline spat.
10:32This was, of course, a major theme of a recent summit here in Brussels.
10:36To find out if there's been any movement here, we can now turn to our Ukraine correspondent,
10:40Sasha Vakilina.
10:41Good morning, Sasha.
10:42So what are Ukraine's options now?
10:43Well, Ukraine publicly has been stating that it has full trust in the European Union and
10:50the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, who
10:53have insisted that the EU will find a way of unblocking those 90 billion loan to Ukraine.
10:58But at the same time, Kyiv is running out of money and needs this financial support really
11:03urgently.
11:03And it is looking at other possible partners.
11:06With the escalation in the Middle East, those partners could be indeed in the Middle East
11:11and in the Gulf regions, among the countries who have officially requested Ukraine's help
11:15and expertise in countering Iranian drowns.
11:18And President Zelensky did admit it, saying that Ukraine is looking for other partners elsewhere
11:24away from Europe.
11:26Let's take a listen.
11:29Ukraine offers a mutually beneficial partnership.
11:32We can strengthen those who can strengthen us.
11:35We can see that we are being blocked in Europe.
11:37And as long as the risk remains, we need to look for further opportunities to strengthen
11:41our position.
11:42The Middle East and the Gulf region represent, in our view, the right direction to take and
11:47offer significant opportunities to strengthen our position.
11:53President Zelensky there, losing a little bit of patience with Brussels.
11:55Of course, we've been discussing this potential loan for months here.
11:58But Brussels has promised they will find a way to unlock this loan, Sasha.
12:02But yet, we're seeing Budapest now halting gas transit as well to Ukraine.
12:06Absolutely.
12:07Let's take a little step back and see what is it that Hungary has been blocking for a
12:11while.
12:12Now, we have this 90 billion loan.
12:13We also have the new package of sanctions against Russia also being blocked by Hungary.
12:18There is also a veto regarding the opening of the clusters and any proceedings regarding
12:23Ukraine's EU accession process.
12:25Now, recently, Hungary also announced it would cut diesel, electricity and now natural gas
12:31transit.
12:32Now, these are all those tools already used or announced by Budapest.
12:38That doesn't really leave much rest in this arsenal.
12:41What else can Hungary do in this dispute with Kyiv over the Druzba pipeline?
12:48Now, let's take a listen to what Viktor Orban had to say about these new measures.
12:55Ukraine has been blocking the operations of the Friendship oil pipeline for 30 days.
13:00In order to break the oil blockade and ensure Hungary's secure energy supply, further measures
13:07are now needed.
13:08Therefore, we will gradually halt gas deliveries from Hungary to Ukraine and store the remaining
13:13volumes at home.
13:14As long as Ukraine does not supply oil, it will not receive gas from Hungary.
13:22Hungary is indeed a very important transit route for natural gas for Ukraine.
13:27It represents around 30 percent of all the inputs.
13:30But at the same time, Ukraine foreign ministry said that at this stage, Ukraine has enough
13:35to go on for a while.
13:37But also, there are alternative routes that have already been discovered and used.
13:42First and foremost, this is Poland.
13:43So, it remains to be seen how actually how strong and how efficient for Budapest this
13:48new measure would be in this dispute over Druzba.
13:50OK, thank you so much, Sascha.
13:52Sascha Vakilina there reporting for us.
13:54And now to take a look at how all these issues are impacting Polish-Hungarian relations, our
13:59Polish reporter, Jakub Janus, brings us this report.
14:04Not so long ago, Poland and Hungary used to be the ultimate power couple of Central Europe.
14:09Today, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is publicly calling Budapest alleged handling of
14:15EU secrets a disgrace and strongly condemns its growing loyalty to Moscow.
14:19And this is no longer just a political disagreement.
14:22It's a full-blown fracture built over years of Russian connections and ideological clashes.
14:28So, let's see the timeline, shall we?
14:32Under Polish previous law and justice government, Warsaw and Budapest were inseparable, shielding
14:37each other from the EU's penalties.
14:39But Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused a massive crack.
14:44Poland became Kiev's biggest champion, while Viktor Orban refused to break his title.
14:50And the rift grew so deep that even Polish conservative leader Jarosław Kaczyński told
14:55Orban to get his eyes checked over Russian atrocities.
14:59Fast forward to today and the situation got even more tense.
15:03Budapest has become a safe haven for wanted law and justice politicians fleeing Tusk's new
15:09government.
15:09And former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Żobro is currently hiding in Hungary, evading criminal
15:16charges of corruption and abuse of power.
15:19And the relationship derailed completely this week after reports that Hungary's foreign minister
15:25was allegedly leaking EU meeting details to Moscow, prompting Tusk to admit Warsaw has suspected
15:31this betrayal for years.
15:34Now the conflict is tearing Poland itself apart.
15:38MAGA-aligned Polish president Karol Nawrocki is defying pro-EU Tusk by traveling to Budapest
15:44to stand with Orban right before the April 12 elections.
15:49And it is an ironic twist of history.
15:51These two nations shared monarchs in the late Middle Ages, like Louis the Great and Stefan
15:56Batory.
15:57And after centuries of surviving empires, world wars and communism together, it seems that
16:04current geopolitical alliances and Russian ties are breaking a relationship long defined
16:10by the old proverb, Paul and Hungarian, two good friends, together for the sword and the
16:16wine.
16:22Jakub Janus reporting for us there.
16:24Now moving on, foreign ministers of the G7.
16:27So the group of seven that includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the
16:32US and the European Union are gathering in an abbey today and tomorrow near Paris.
16:37On their agenda, the ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, a global energy crisis and
16:42a choked Strait of Hormuz.
16:44For more on what we should expect, I'm joined here in the studio by your news's correspondent,
16:48Maya De La Boom.
16:49So quite a context here that they're gathering in.
16:51What should we expect?
16:52Yes, as you said, the foreign affairs ministers of the G7 are coming, are gathering near Paris
16:58to talk about the most pressing issues.
17:00We know what these issues are, mainly Iran, but also how to enhance support for Ukraine.
17:06So this comes at a very sensitive time.
17:09As you know, we have conflicting reports now on whether America is really talking to Iranians.
17:15If there is a peace plan going on right now, clearly on Ukraine, the other issue is how
17:22to talk about Ukraine when this issue has been really overshadowed by Iran in the past week.
17:29So how to put back Iran on the agenda, Ukraine on the agenda and how to enhance support.
17:34And this will be very interesting for the G7, for Europeans in the G7 to talk to Rubio about
17:40this, to have a first, you know, account of what is happening in Iran and with Ukraine.
17:45Well, they're hoping they'll get more information on this peace plan, this potential peace plan.
17:48Yes.
17:49So we talk about a potential peace plan, but nothing is very certain.
17:52Nothing is really confirmed.
17:53On one side, you have, you know, talks, ongoing talks between Americans and Iranians, and Pakistan
18:00is being the country brokering these negotiations.
18:05We talk about, we hear about a 15-point peace plan there, but nothing is confirmed.
18:10And on the other side, you have ongoing strikes in Iran, and you have an announcement from
18:15the Pentagon saying that they will send 2,000 airborne troops.
18:19So, you know, the war is still there.
18:21And on the other side, there are talks of peace.
18:24So it's not very clear, as we know from the start, it's not clear, but it's not clear now.
18:29So Rubio will be the one maybe giving a little more clarity on the situation.
18:33So all eyes, of course, on Marco Rubio for some clarity on what is next on a war that, of
18:38course, is really impacting us here in the European Union.
18:41Maya de la Boon, thank you so much for that update.
18:43Well, that brings this edition of Europe Today to an end.
18:46Thank you so much for tuning in.
18:47As always, stay with us here, though, on Euronews to catch a fresh, very fiery edition
18:52of The Ring, our weekly debating show that comes to you from the European Parliament here
18:56in Brussels.
18:57Thanks again for watching.
18:58Take care and see you soon on Euronews.
19:30See you soon on Euronews.
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