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Europe Today: Trump signals frustration over Iran war as EU calls for urgent de-escalation
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READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/04/01/europe-today-trump-signals-frustration-over-iran-war-as-eu-calls-for-urgent-de-escalation
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NewsTranscript
00:14Good morning, it is Wednesday the 1st of April. I'm Maeve MacMahon and this is Europe Today,
00:21your daily catch-up of European news and context live here on Euronews.
00:25Coming up, the President of the European Council has called for urgent de-escalation and respect
00:31for international law in the ongoing war in the Middle East. After a phone call with the
00:36Iranian President, Antonio Costa, said the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure
00:41was vital. This as neighbourhoods of Tehran were bombed last night and seven people were killed
00:47in Beirut. Meanwhile, the US President Donald Trump warns allies to, quote,
00:52go get your own oil, expressing frustration over what he sees as a lack of support in efforts to
00:59reopen the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz. We'll speak exclusively to Poland's Minister of State
01:04for Energy. But first, residents in Dubai have been taking shelter from explosions not witnessed
01:10since the start of the conflict. In the past few weeks, the US-Israel war on Iran has wiped
01:15$120 billion off stock markets in the United Arab Emirates, while tens of thousands of flights have
01:22been cancelled in one of the world's busiest transit hubs. For the latest, we can cross now to Dubai
01:28and bring in your news as correspondent, Jane Witherspoon. Good morning, Jane. So we've seen
01:32actually US stocks jump last night after Iran said it was willing to perhaps end the war. But meanwhile,
01:38Iran is attacking Gulf countries intensively. So what exactly should we read into all this?
01:44Well, as you mentioned, good morning. The war in Iran has completely shaken up the global financial
01:50markets. There are global campaigns and efforts to calm this, trying to keep those oil prices from
01:58exploding upwards, from stocks from falling, and interest rates from surging. As you mentioned,
02:04yesterday, the US had their best day in nearly a year. And as you mentioned as well, also,
02:11the UAE has basically been some of the hardest hit the markets here from the fallout of the war,
02:18wiping, as you said, $120 billion there. There is confidence it will bounce back. The financial
02:25markets in Qatar and Bahrain have also dropped about 4% and 7% respectively. Meanwhile, exchanges in
02:33Saudi Arabia and Oman have seen gains. And meanwhile, Jane, what's the latest in Dubai where you are after
02:39those explosions yesterday? Yes, we had a very intense day yesterday of several attacks here
02:48across the UAE and Dubai. A residential building in Dubai south was hit by debris, resulting in four
02:54people being injured. We had a fire deserted house in the Al-Badar region. Debris from a falling drone
03:02also hit the facade in central Dubai. And as well, a Kuwaiti tanker was the target of an attack off
03:09the
03:09coast of Dubai. Of course, we've had jets ramping up once again overnight. There's not a lot of sleep
03:16happening here. And of course, all eyes are looking towards this evening, where the IRGC, they have
03:22issued a warning saying, issued a threat saying that they're going to target 18 tech companies across
03:29the Gulf, saying that they're going to commence those attacks at 8pm Tehran time. Those targets
03:37include some of the biggest US tech firms, Microsoft, Google, and Apple. So of course, there are a lot of
03:43people waiting to see what today and tonight brings. Okay, Jane Witherspoon, thank you so much for that
03:49update. And we're also waiting to hear what President Trump has to say. He'll be giving a press conference
03:53later on on the ongoing war in Iran. So stay tuned to see here if there is any end in
03:58sight to this.
03:59But now, moving on, EU foreign affairs ministers, except the Hungarian minister, are in Kiev pledging
04:04to ensure, quote, full accountability for the war crimes Russia is accused of committing in the past
04:10four years. For more on their visit that started in Buccia, the city outside Kiev, known for the massacre
04:16back in March 2022. We spoke to the Romanian foreign minister, Oana Toy, from Kiev.
04:22Yes, we have visited together Buccia, also commemorating the victims, but in the same time
04:28being witnesses to this moment of resilience and how Ukrainians have taken back occupied territory,
04:34have liberated Buccia that has been under Russian occupation with terrible war crimes. We have seen
04:40and heard stories of civilians that were simply crossing the streets of children that were killed
04:47under Russian occupation. 400 children were kidnapped and have recently returned to the Ukrainian community
04:54and hear the common effort to return kidnapped children back to their families, back into the
04:59community. If their family did not survive that part of the war, this is something extremely important.
05:06We saw President Zelenskyy traveling over in Saudi Arabia, looking elsewhere for financial support,
05:12given that 90 billion loan is still on hold. Is the relationship then a little bit awkward today
05:17because of this? I wouldn't use that word in any sense. It's a good relationship. It's a strong
05:24partnership. And of course, we need better instruments inside the European Union also to have faster
05:30decisions. But in terms of the Middle East and the relationship between Ukraine and Middle East, we have
05:35visited this morning defense facilities and we have seen also interceptors that are built in Ukraine
05:43to counter Shahed drones, the Iranian Russian drones that have been used in Ukraine and that are used in
05:50Ukraine, but also that are currently used in the Middle East. So what we see is something that myself
05:55and my colleagues have said for a long time, which is the fact that conflicts around the world are
06:01interconnected. And it is very important now that we also use the expertise gained through the
06:07resilience in this war by Ukraine. Also on the Romanian side, for example, we have planned to build
06:13together a drone facility in Romania. This has been part of the agreements between President Volodymyr
06:18Zelenskyy and President Nikos Ordan two weeks ago in the Romanian visit.
06:22Now, you're there physically today, but not all foreign affairs ministers from the European Union are there.
06:27What does that say about United that you support for Ukraine?
06:31Well, some of the European foreign affairs ministers that are not here today have had previous bilateral
06:37visits. So it depends on how the schedules are in different countries. There are countries where,
06:41for example, you've just had elections and you have a caretaking government. But I would reconfirm the
06:46fact that the European Union support is strong and will continue to be that. And of course, for us as
06:52a country
06:52bordering the war, having 650 kilometers of the border, it is also very important that we move
06:58ahead with decisions such as not to allow Russian war combatants in the future to gain Schengen visas,
07:05to go ahead with the common investments at the border. For example, we're now building a highway that
07:11connects the part of Romania with Chernobyl, the Ukrainian region with a strong Romanian-speaking minority. And this is
07:18part of the safe financing instruments, which is the European instrument, as you know, to help us
07:24build better capacity, not just in terms of defense procurement, but also dual use.
07:31Oh, Anatoia there, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs speaking to me from Ukraine. Now moving on,
07:36Israel has been criticized by the European Union and the United Nations for reinstating capital punishment
07:42for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, a practice associated with non-democratic countries
07:48or democracies in decline. Many Israeli opposition lawmakers and Israeli citizens have been taking to
07:53the streets to protest. Our Jakob Yanis tells us more.
07:58It is a seismic shift in Israeli law. On Monday, Knesset approved the death penalty for Palestinians
08:05convinced of murdering Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the measure and far-right national
08:10security minister, Itama Ben-Givir, celebrated the vote wearing a pin shaped like a noose on his lapel.
08:16And the topic is very serious, so your reporter wants to look past the political theater and see the facts.
08:24Under the new rules, anyone convinced of a fatal terror attack faces a default punishment of death by
08:29hanging. And it applies by default in military courts. However, these courts only try Palestinians in the
08:37occupied West Bank. The law also applies in civilian courts, but there is a catch. The attacker must act
08:44with the intention to put an end to the state of Israel. And legal experts say this exact wording
08:49protects Jewish citizens from the same punishment. The Palestinian Authority stresses Israel has absolutely
08:55no sovereignty over Palestinian land. Whereas supporters of the bill say the country must fight a cycle of terror.
09:03But there is a question. Will this law stop the violence? You see, the death penalty is banned across the
09:10EU.
09:11And the UK, France, Germany and Italy say the policy has zero deterring effect and called it de facto discriminatory.
09:19And now Brussels is stepping in. Euronews has seen an exclusive draft statement from EU foreign policy
09:25chief Kayakalas, who calls the bill a grave regression. It marks a noticeably sharper tone from Europe towards Israel.
09:34Yet, diplomacy aside, the core problem comes down to the law itself. If a justice system seems to use two
09:41different sets of rules for the exact same crime, can one still call it justice?
09:50Now, today is April the 1st, a day for playing April Fool jokes on each other. But this next story
09:56is no laughing matter. Just 12 or 11 days ahead of general elections in Hungary,
10:01a new leak shows the Hungarian foreign affairs minister, Peter Tiarto, discussing EU-sanctioned
10:06dodging with Russia's foreign affairs minister, Sergei Lavrov. Poland and Ireland have called the move,
10:11quote, repulsive, sinister and unacceptable. For more, we're joined here on set by
10:16Euronews's Hungarian correspondent, Sander Zieros. Sander, just tell us what exactly happened and why is
10:21this so significant? Good morning, Maeve. Indeed, this recorded conversation shows a call between
10:27Hungarian foreign minister Peter Tiarto and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. The conversation
10:33happened back in 2024. We don't know who recorded it, but it was published by an investigative portal,
10:40the insider. Now about the content. It shows how Lavrov convinced Sander to act for Russian interest and
10:49to try to remove one Russian woman from the EU's sanctions list. She's a sister of a Russian oligarch.
10:57Sander Zieros accepted this request and he was saying he will work on this. And indeed, six months later,
11:04this woman has been removed from the EU's sanctions list. Now, Sander Zieros is well known for his close
11:13Russian ties. And it's also well known that, you know, Hungary is disliking the EU's sanctions policy
11:20when it comes to Russia. But the tone of the whole conversation was very casual and it was very striking.
11:27Now, what the impact of this conversation and of this leak? This is happening during the final
11:33phase of the Hungarian electoral campaign. And, you know, one of the big topics at these elections is
11:38the ties with Russia. And Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar is attacking the government with
11:46especially this. He is saying what Tiarto did is a betrayal of the Hungarian interest, is a betrayal of
11:53the European interest. Now, let's listen to the conversation.
11:57Look, I am calling on the request of Alice and he just asked me to remind you that you were
12:07doing
12:08something about his sister. Mrs. Ismailova? Yes. Yeah, absolutely. The thing is the following that
12:17together with the Slovaks, we are submitting a proposal to the European Union to de-list her. We will submit
12:26it
12:26next week. And as the new review period is going to be started, it's going to be put on the
12:34agenda.
12:36And we will do our best in order to get her off. Thank you very much. He would be really
12:43very
12:44pleased. He is seriously concerned about his sister. You can understand it. And we highly appreciate your
12:50your support and your fight for equality. And you can read more of Sander's reporting
12:56and our Hungarian desk reporting on yournews.com. Thank you, Sander. And now for the mood in Hungary,
13:01just days, as I said, away from these crucial parliamentary elections. Our correspondent in
13:06Hungary, Adam Meyer, sent us this update. There are less than two weeks left until next Sunday's
13:11Hungarian election, which promises to be the closest in the past 20 years.
13:14It's no wonder we are seeing a campaign as intense as the country hasn't seen in a long time.
13:20Unlike in previous campaigns, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has embarked on a tour of the country,
13:24delivering speeches to thousands of people night after night in squares like this one in Solnok,
13:30a city 100 kilometers from Budapest. Orbán's main challenger, Peter Magyar, is also touring the country,
13:36but he appears at four or five locations a day, drawing often similar crowds as the Prime Minister.
13:41In recent days, reports emerged that country protesters have appeared at Viktor Orbán's speeches,
13:47where they were harassed by people dressed in black and were not protected by the police.
13:51It remains to be seen if similar or even more intense events will take place in the last days of
13:56the campaign.
14:00Adam Meyer there for us now. After talks in Brussels, the EU energy ministers have so far
14:04not published any concrete proposals to address the energy crisis, but the Commission will present
14:09EU-level measures very soon. For more, we can speak to Brzev Brokna, the Polish Secretary of State
14:15and the Energy Ministry, who was actually inside the very meeting. Good morning and thanks for joining us.
14:19Just tell us, what did you decide? Because here in Brussels, they're starting to tell people to start working from
14:24home,
14:24not take urgent flights and drive less. Is this scaremongering or what was really the mood inside that meeting?
14:31Good morning and thanks for having me. In Poland, we have already taken some measures. We have decided to introduce
14:41the legislation that is basically introducing price caps on fuels in Poland and also decreases excise tax and VAT.
14:52But in Brussels, we are still discussing. So basically, we have been discussing different approaches.
14:59But basically, the voices that were heard the most were about need to act, need to react quickly.
15:08And of course, different ministers were presenting different approaches. Poland was focusing more on the
15:16need of urgent measures to be taken in the EU ETS system.
15:20So who should be taking charge here? Because people are very worried. Should it be EU capitals
15:24introducing measures like reducing speed limits or encouraging public transport? Or should the EU be
15:29coming here with a coordinated response?
15:32I do believe that basically, we need a coordinated response to the crisis. But the capitals should be
15:41driving the measures. Basically, we need certain flexibility. Of course, it's easier in countries when,
15:49I don't know, people are using bikes to go to work to somehow encourage them to use bikes. But you
15:58know, in
15:58Warsaw, now it's better with the weather. But in February, you cannot bike to work. That's the issue.
16:06Indeed, of course, people are looking for realistic measures too. Thank you so much for joining us this
16:11morning here on Euronews. Now, moving on, Pope Leo is preparing to celebrate Easter for the first time
16:17as pontiff one year after his predecessor's death, as concerns grow over the Middle East War.
16:22The Irish MEP Barry Andrews has an audience with the Pope today and joins us now for Rome.
16:27Good morning, Barry. Just tell us, what are your expectations for this encounter? And is there
16:31anything the Pope can do to call for calm now in the Middle East?
16:35Hi, good morning, Mays. Thanks for having me on. Yes, I mean, he has been a very strong
16:41moral voice for peace and for dialogue in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world. So,
16:47Billy, I'll be raising that issue with him and thanking him for his moral leadership. But I'll also
16:52be raising with him the massive cuts in development and humanitarian age that are happening in Europe,
16:58encouraging him to support a narrative which acknowledges it's not all about investment
17:05in infrastructure. A lot of it is about providing humanitarian aid for people affected by conflict.
17:11He was in Lebanon himself in November. I was there a couple of weeks ago myself and I've seen for
17:17myself
17:18the human cost of these massive cuts in humanitarian aid in terms of the types of services that are provided
17:24for people that are internally displaced in Lebanon. So it's a huge privilege for me to be able to share
17:29a few moments with him. His first document is a major document focused on poverty and inequality.
17:37And he will therefore hopefully encourage European leaders to focus on that as well.
17:42And meanwhile, Barry Andrews, we've seen that the former Irish
17:44EU Commissioner, Moraine McGuinness, has been appointed as the EU's new special envoy for religious
17:49leaders. Freedom, what does that actually mean? What will this role entail of?
17:54Well, I'm across exactly what Moraine's role will be. She's a personal friend of mine. I'm delighted
18:00for her and that she's recovered from recent illness. But clearly, humanitarian aid is neutral.
18:07It's faith neutral. And what the European Union seeks to do is to provide for anybody wherever they are
18:13affected by conflict or climate or any catastrophe with impartial and neutral assistance, wherever
18:20that can happen. Nevertheless, I'm glad that Moraine will have that role because there is
18:25growing both anti-Semitism across Europe. There's Islamophobia as well across Europe. And there's an
18:32intolerance of Christian minorities in some parts of the developing world. So it's important that
18:38somebody as senior as Moraine would take that role.
18:41Okay. Barry Andrews, Irish MEP there from Renew Europe, just ahead with his moment there with
18:46the Pope. Thank you so much for speaking to us here on Euronews. And thank you so much for tuning
18:52in. Of course, with this week being Holy Week and the EU institutions going a little bit into shutdown
18:56for a couple of days, Europe Today is also taking a little break. We'll be back though next Tuesday
19:02with a fresh news show. In the meantime, for anyone celebrating Easter, enjoy, take care,
19:07and see you very soon here on Euronews. And of course, on Euronews.com for more news,
19:12more analysis, and more insights onto all the stories we're covering for you. Thanks for watching.
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