00:01European Union leaders have gathered in Cyprus for an informal summit where they are discussing
00:06Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the worsening energy
00:11crisis and the fate of the EU long-term budget. The summit will also kick off an internal process
00:17to establish a mutual assistance clause under Article 42.7 of the EU treaties. It could one
00:24day stand in for NATO's Article 5 should the United States withdraw from the alliance,
00:29something that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened.
00:33The discussion takes place in the shadow of the Iran war and was proposed by the president of
00:38Cyprus as his country does not belong to NATO and therefore cannot benefit from the alliance's
00:43Article 5. Another major discussion topic is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that is plunging
00:49Europe into a worsening energy crisis. One notable absence during the summit is outgoing Hungarian
00:56Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose office said he is skipping it due to the handover of power to
01:01newly elected Peter Magyar. Two of his outstanding vetoes on the 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine
01:08and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia were lifted earlier on Thursday following the
01:13resumption of Russian oil flows through the Soviet-era Drushba pipeline.
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