- 14 hours ago
Europe Today: Bettel és Marin exkluzívan az Euronewsnak, közel a magyar vétó vége az ukrán hitelről
Europe Today: az Euronews reggeli műsora 8 órakor - 20 percben a nap legfontosabb híreivel.
BŐVEBBEN : http://hu.euronews.com/2026/04/22/europe-today-bettel-es-marin-exkluzivan-az-euronewsnak-kozel-a-magyar-veto-vege-az-ukran-h
Iratkozzon fel: Az Euronews elérhető 12 nyelven
Europe Today: az Euronews reggeli műsora 8 órakor - 20 percben a nap legfontosabb híreivel.
BŐVEBBEN : http://hu.euronews.com/2026/04/22/europe-today-bettel-es-marin-exkluzivan-az-euronewsnak-kozel-a-magyar-veto-vege-az-ukran-h
Iratkozzon fel: Az Euronews elérhető 12 nyelven
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:14Good morning. It's Wednesday, the 22nd of April. I'm Maret Gwynn and this is Europe Today,
00:22your daily dose of news and analysis broadcast live here from Brussels. On today's show,
00:28Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that the Druzhba oil pipeline has been
00:34repaired and can resume operation. It comes just in time for a gathering of EU ambassadors today
00:41in Brussels, where Hungary could drop its veto on the EU's 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine.
00:49Also, we'll have an exclusive interview with Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Betel.
00:55He reacts to yesterday's ruling from the EU's top court, which found Viktor Orbán's anti-LGBTQ laws
01:03in Hungary in breach of the EU's values of equality and minority rights. And US President Donald Trump
01:11says he has extended the ceasefire with Iran until negotiations between both sides conclude.
01:18It came as the White House put Vice President J.D. Vance's trip to Pakistan for a second round of
01:23talks on hold. Amid the energy crisis, the EU says it could import jet fuel from alternative
01:29suppliers, such as the US, to avoid potential shortages. But first, to our top story this
01:37morning, because Kyiv says that the Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged in Ukraine three months ago,
01:43can now resume operation. It's set to end months of standoff, pitting Hungary and Slovakia against Ukraine.
01:51Our correspondent, Shandor Shiros, is with me in the studio to discuss the details. Shandor,
01:58good morning. This announcement from Zelensky yesterday that the Druzhba pipeline can now,
02:04in principle, return to operation could prove to be quite significant.
02:08Yes, I completely agree. So this is the pipeline that brings cheap Russian oil through Ukraine to
02:15Hungary and to Slovakia. And it has been shut down at the end of January by a Russian
02:20strike and has not been repaired ever since until yesterday. But yesterday, Zelensky announced
02:27the repair in a tweet. He said that Ukraine has completed repair work on the sections of the Druzhba
02:33oil pipeline that was damaged by a Russian strike. The pipeline can resume operation. Now, this step
02:40could end tensions between Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine. And also, this issue caused huge tensions
02:48in the European Union because Hungary blocked the EU's 90 billion aid package to Ukraine because
02:54of the Druzhba issue. Now, everything can be fixed, hopefully. When the oil will start to flow,
03:00Hungary will lift its veto. It could happen today at the EU's ambassadors' meeting in Brussels. And right after,
03:08the Commission could send the money to Ukraine because they said that they did their paperwork already.
03:15We've been doing all the technical work on our side to make sure that once all the steps are in
03:22place,
03:23we will be losing no time.
03:26And Sándor, this obviously has caused a big political earthquake. When it comes to the politics
03:33behind this, how do you interpret this move now from Zelensky to unblock this?
03:38Well, we can only guess for the moment what we know so far that Hungary and Slovakia from the
03:43beginning accused Ukraine of using the Druzhba issue for political blackmailing and to cut Russian
03:50oil flows to Europe. On the other hand, Ukraine also said that it's technically a very difficult
03:56issue to repair this pipeline and it could take months. But for the record, Zelensky said that he would
04:02not repair the pipeline in March, he said, because he's financing Russia's war. And it's also true
04:09that, you know, Ukraine never accepted independent European experts on the ground to check the
04:15situation. But the timing is very interesting and very important. We are 10 days after the Hungarian
04:21elections. Viktor Orbán, who has been absolutely hostile towards Ukraine, has been removed from the
04:29power and Peter Magyar, who could be more flexible, will get the new government. So this could be a signal
04:35also from Ukraine to, you know, in a way settle this situation. I would like to have one final sentence
04:43on
04:43Orbán, because it's very interesting what Orbán is doing by lifting the veto. He's keeping his word and he's
04:50also removing obstacles from the future government of Peter Magyar.
04:55OK, Shandor, thank you so much for that. And we will be keeping an eye out, of course, for the
04:59outcome
05:00of that meeting of EU ambassadors later today. But now, moving on, EU foreign ministers gathered in
05:07Luxembourg yesterday in what was the first major EU meeting since Viktor Orbán's electoral defeat.
05:14The outgoing foreign minister, Peter Siarto, skipped the talks. Orbán is also expected to skip a gathering
05:21of EU leaders in Cyprus on Friday. During yesterday's meeting of foreign ministers,
05:26they failed to agree on proposals by Ireland, Spain and Slovenia to suspend the EU-Israel
05:31Association agreement over the deteriorating situation in Gaza and ongoing violence against
05:37Palestinians in the West Bank. Back from Luxembourg and joining me in the studio this morning is
05:42our correspondent, Shauna Murray. Shauna, briefly bring us up to speed on that meeting yesterday and
05:47tell us about your interview with the Luxembourgish foreign minister.
05:51That's right. So EU foreign affairs ministers, the numbers weren't there to pass this proposal
05:56to suspend the Israel-EU Association agreement in relation to alleged war crimes in Lebanon,
06:01also across Palestine. But there will be a proposal from Sweden and France to potentially
06:06ban goods from settlement areas. That will be looked at by Mara Sefcovic, the EU trade commissioner.
06:11But I also caught up with Xavier Battelle, who is Luxembourg's foreign affairs minister. And at the
06:17time when we were chatting, the European Court of Justice emerged with this ruling which said that
06:21Viktor Orban's anti-LGBT law in Hungary back in 2021 was actually deemed a breach of EU law.
06:29And I asked Xavier Battelle about this because he was former prime minister of Luxembourg and he
06:34once addressed this issue with Viktor Orban directly.
06:40It's not the fact that I'm gay that I just fight for gay rights, but it's the fact that I
06:43fight for
06:44minorities. And it's always easier to fight against the smallest group in some countries.
06:52And for me, European Union is a peace project, but it's also a rule of law and the rights of
06:57minorities.
06:59And I don't like to teach other continents if on my own continent, in my own family, have people
07:05blaming me for being gay. And as I told to Viktor Orban at that moment, it was not my choice.
07:10And the
07:11most difficult part of that was to accept myself. And then to get blamed because I'm different for
07:18him. And, you know, as I said, you know, being gay is not a choice, but being homophobic is a
07:22choice.
07:22And to do politics by blaming someone reminds me seriously that how it starts also with Jewish
07:30people and then with gypsies and etc. So I want to be intolerant to intolerance. That's the only
07:38intolerance I accept. And I will fight for that. And I remember I told also in the meeting, and I
07:43shouldn't speak about the meetings. But I told to to Viktor at that moment, when he wants also a ban
07:50about in Hungary to speak even about LGBTI questions that I didn't become gay because I watch TV.
07:57What was Viktor Orban's response to you? Because you were equals, you were both prime ministers of
08:02your country. You know, it was a very clear answer from Viktor, because usually he always answer
08:08and he did not answer. He didn't say anything. And in the in the meeting room, there was a silence
08:15when I took the floor to it was not in the agenda. And I took the floor, I asked Charles
08:19to be able
08:20to raise the topic. And I raised it. But I'm not I'm not, you know, I'm not the gay prime
08:25minister.
08:26I'm prime minister. And I was prime minister. And I am gay. And it's just the fact that I wanted
08:30to tell
08:30him how I feel the situations for, in fact, the people who have no opportunity to tell it to him.
08:36That's the people living in his own country and being considered as as not normal.
08:41But this is a momentous Foreign Affairs Council because the last one back in February was
08:46just a torrid affair because Peter Giarto, the Hungarian foreign minister who's not actually
08:52showing up here today, was blocking the 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, blocking access
08:57to the European peace facility, blocking the sanctions, blocking progress on Ukrainian
09:02membership of the European Union.
09:03I'm very honest, as you know, maybe the boss of diplomacy, but not the most diplomatic.
09:08But I'm always honest. I said to Peter that they moved in a direction where most of us
09:13are counting the days till the elections in Hungary are going to happen. And this was this
09:18is not good.
09:19You said that to Peter Giarto at the last Foreign Affairs Council. And what did he say to you?
09:23No answer. But I meant it that they moved in that direction. So they made it for most of
09:31us counting the days. And this is not this is never good when you just hope that there
09:35will be a change of government to be able to move on. And so that's the reason why I really
09:40promote
09:41for for for a lot of topics in foreign policies to be able to have a majority vote and not
09:47unanimity. This is not good when one country can block on foreign policy. We have today also later in the
09:53day discussions about the Middle East. I hope we will be able to have an agreement. But usually we are
09:57not even able to to sanction settlers. And when we see what's happening in Palestine and in Israel and in
10:05the West Bank, it's it's a shame what's when we see what's happening in Lebanon.
10:08And this is where sometimes it's very frustrating.
10:13Just finally, finally, on the Strait of Ormos, I mean, it's sort of changes every hour. But from an EU
10:19NATO perspective, what do you think can actually be done?
10:22But the fact is, you know, to say NATO, NATO is a defensive, it's not an offensive union. It's a
10:28defensive union. If one country is attacked, that the other will help it. Article five. For the moment, there is
10:34no attack against the NATO countries.
10:37It was an attack from NATO countries and also from Israel against Iran. That's the reality. We can't change the
10:43history.
10:44And we have not been consulted before to know if we would love to join or not to join. So
10:48I think we should not be part of the war.
10:51But if we can be part of the solution, that because something for the boats. But and don't forget, we
10:58speak.
10:59A lot of countries are now just interested in in petrol. And but we should not forget that there is
11:04even humanitarian aid, which is not able to go up.
11:07So there will be millions of people who won't get food because of it.
11:10So and we cannot say to the we cannot let the Iranians decide of the of the of millions of
11:16people who need humanitarian support.
11:20Moving on now, U.S. President Donald Trump has said overnight he will extend the ceasefire in the war on
11:26Iran until negotiations progress.
11:29And Tehran puts forward a proposal for more. We can bring in Euronews's Laila Humaira, who's in Doha for us
11:37this morning.
11:37Good morning, Laila. Great to have you on the show. Bring us up to speed, if you can, on what
11:42happened overnight.
11:43Right. That's right, Maret. Good morning to you guys in Brussels as well.
11:49And we were watching very closely what was going to happen with these negotiation talks and with the ceasefire deadline
11:55looming.
11:56As you said, President Donald Trump late on Tuesday, our time posted to Truth Social.
12:02And here was what he had to say. We have been and I quote, we have been asked to hold
12:07our attack on the country of Iran.
12:09I have therefore directed our military to continue the blockade and remain ready and will therefore extend the ceasefire until
12:17such time as their proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded one way or the other, end quote.
12:25Now that puts the ball back in Tehran's turf. There have been no official response from Iran as of yet.
12:31But that's where we stand, an extension to the ceasefire until Iran puts forward a proposal.
12:37And Laila, despite this truce now, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains very volatile.
12:46Yes, absolutely. And since Saturday, ships, tankers and vessels have essentially found themselves back to square one, idling in the
12:55waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
12:59We had the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi saying the U.S. blockade is an act of war.
13:04Meanwhile, U.S. naval forces have said that it's directed 28 vessels to turn around under this Iranian port blockade.
13:14They have also seized at least one Iranian-linked vessel in the Gulf waters and another in the Indo-Pacific
13:20region.
13:21But there's also been a development in the waters as well.
13:23In the last hour or so, the U.K. maritime trade operations reported an incident northeast of Oman.
13:30And after that, the Iranian state media reported that it had enforced what it called maritime law on a container
13:37ship that had been ignoring repeated warnings.
13:41OK, Laila, Humaira there for us in Doha. Thank you so much for that update.
13:45But now, Sana Marin became Finland's youngest prime minister at the age of just 34.
13:51During her tenure, she oversaw major shifts in Finland's foreign policy, including its accession to NATO in the wake of
13:59Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
14:01Our Europe editor Maria Tadeo sat down with Sana Marin yesterday and started by asking her about Petr Madja's victory
14:08over Orban in Hungary and what it could mean both for Hungary and the European Union.
14:13I think it gives hope to Europe. And I know that I am.
14:18And I know that many in Hungary and many in Europe are relieved with this outcome of the election of
14:24the Hungarian parliamentary elections,
14:26because it also gives now much more space of solutions about Ukraine.
14:32We all know that Orban has have Ukraine under his pressure on many occasions and many situations.
14:39So, of course, we hope that now things will flow forward.
14:43And also, I think it's hope for for Hungarian people.
14:46And of course, you were prime minister of Finland.
14:49You said at the European Council, you also said with Viktor Orban over the past few weeks,
14:55we've seen tapes that leaked of alleged conversations and some of them caught on tape very openly between the Hungarians
15:01and the Russians.
15:02Is that something that you suspected? And is it just a red line has been crossed already?
15:07The idea that this communication was certainly happened before and after meetings.
15:11Of course, I have worked together with Viktor Orban in European Council.
15:17And we have had many difficult situations and discussions, for example, concerning Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership.
15:24Hungary was a second of the last countries that ratified our NATO membership.
15:33And there have been many situations and we know that that Orban has very different view on the war in
15:42Ukraine.
15:43And also, for example, rule of law, applying rule of law in Europe.
15:47Ukraine cannot win it.
15:48You said objectively Ukraine cannot win it.
15:50You've said Ukraine can win it.
15:52Ukraine must win it.
15:54I would say Ukraine must win it if Ukraine doesn't win the war or have, and this I mean, have
16:01an outcome on a peace negotiations that will be sustainable,
16:06that would be fair for the Ukrainian citizens.
16:08And that will provide security to Europe and to Ukraine in the future.
16:13If we won't have that, we as Europe, we are under jeopardy because Russia is, as we speak, they are
16:21preparing themselves.
16:23They're modernizing their army and they're preparing themselves to much wider fight.
16:29So they're preparing for war with Europe?
16:31The rest of the continent?
16:32I wouldn't rule that out.
16:33And we also need to prepare.
16:35And for that, we need strong Ukraine because Ukraine has the largest, most functional and modern army with modern warfare
16:43experience.
16:44And without Ukraine, we are vulnerable.
16:46We need their lessons learned.
16:48We need their help.
16:49And we need to understand that we are as dependent on Ukraine and Ukrainian capabilities that Ukraine is dependent on
16:56our help.
16:56And you mentioned NATO.
16:58There's been a lot of friction over the past few weeks.
17:00Certainly the president of the U.S. make it very clear that he believes the Europeans have done very little
17:05in Iran and also said that NATO without the U.S. is a paper tiger.
17:09When I hear these words, this is exactly what Russia would like to hear.
17:13NATO is a paper tiger and the U.S. may consider reassessing their relationship.
17:17How concerned are you because a country like yours certainly needs a strong NATO?
17:22I'm very glad and I still support our decision joining NATO.
17:27I think it was the right one.
17:28At the same time, we have to understand and realize that NATO is a different organization now than it was
17:34when we and Sweden joined.
17:36Because Trump is a president.
17:38Because of the changing relationship between U.S. and Europe, it has already changed and it is changing.
17:44And this is a fact that we cannot escape.
17:47And it means that we need to focus on our own game.
17:49We cannot anymore only rely on the U.S. presence and U.S. capabilities.
17:54We have to build our own.
17:56And now we are speaking European defense capabilities and European unity, European military forces.
18:03And I think this is extremely necessary discussion.
18:06And we should also discuss more about the European nuclear deterrence.
18:12This is a discussion that I see happening already and the necessity to have it.
18:19And you can watch the full interview with Sana Marin tonight at 5.45 on our program 12 Minutes With.
18:26Now, since Monday, tens of thousands of migrants have applied for legal status in Spain as part of the government's
18:32program to regularize half a million undocumented migrants.
18:37Jacob Janis explains.
18:40The Cures formed early on Monday morning.
18:43Almost 43,000 undocumented migrants have registered in just the first three days of Spain's new regularization scheme.
18:51Starting a program that the government says could eventually grant legal status to a half a million people.
18:57And the public debate has been polarized.
19:00Supporters cite economic necessity and social justice, while critics worry about public services and national identity.
19:07However, let's set aside the emotions for now and look at the facts.
19:14Spain is already home to 10 million people born abroad.
19:19That is one in five residents.
19:21And many of those applying for legal status come from Colombia, Venezuela or Morocco.
19:27They are a key part of the workforce, filling essential roles in agriculture, tourism and domestic care for the elderly.
19:34And regularization turns that shadow workforce into a formal contribution to the state, but also grants them access to public
19:42health care or legal labor protections.
19:44And this is the breakthrough.
19:46Usually, to get papers through a process called Araigo, undocumented migrants must prove they have been in Spain for two
19:52or three years.
19:53This scheme slashes that requirement to just five consecutive months.
19:57However, and that's important, we are talking about one-year renewable residence permit, not full citizenship.
20:05It does not grant the right to vote in general elections or provide an immediate path to nationality.
20:12And individuals with criminal records will not qualify.
20:15And the plan has already caused major friction in Brussels.
20:20Spanish residency permit is effectively a Schengen pass, allowing free travel across Europe for 90 days in any 180-day
20:28period.
20:29EU officials worry that this could act as a poor factor, undermining the bloc's new, stricter crackdown on irregular migration.
20:37However, one thing is certain, Spain will either become a laboratory for a shrinking continent, or break European solidarity in
20:46this most divisive issue in the EU.
20:54Jakob Yanis there, and that's all we have time for today.
20:58Thank you so much for tuning in.
21:00We'll be back with more news, more analysis, same time, same place tomorrow.
21:05In the meantime, do get in touch with us with your questions and tips.
21:08You can email us on europetoday at euronews.com.
21:12And we'll see you very soon here on Euronews.
21:47Euronews.
22:02Euronews.
22:18Euronews.
22:19Euronews.
22:23Euronews.
22:25Euronews.
22:27Euronews.
22:29Euronews.
22:31Euronews.
Comments