Europe Today: Starmer set to step down as US-Iran talks and Moldova summit unfold

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Europe Today: Starmer set to step down as US-Iran talks and Moldova summit unfold  US-Iran talks continued after a temporary pause threatened the fragile agreement, as Brussels hosted the second EU-Moldova summit focused on Chişinău's membership bid. Meanwhile, pressure grew on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as tensions between Poland and Ukraine continued to escalate.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/06/22/europe-today-starmer-set-to-step-down-as-us-iran-talks-and-moldova-summit-unfold  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:14Good morning, it's Monday the 22nd of June, you're watching Euronews and this is Europe Today.

00:22Welcome to the program, I'm Stefan Grobe.

00:25Coming up, between progress and setback, talks in Switzerland between Iran and the United States aimed at building out a

00:33fragile interim deal to end the war were positive and constructive, according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan.

00:40But there were some tense moments when US President Trump angered Tehran's chief negotiators when he threatened Iran, resulting in

00:48a temporary pause in the talks.

00:50We'll have the latest from our correspondent in the Middle East.

00:54Drama at Downing Street.

00:56British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to step down today after pressure from inside his Labour Party became overwhelming

01:04to make way for rival Andy Burnham.

01:07Starmer, who first didn't want to go without a fight, is now aware of the new political realities, as a

01:14government spokesman said.

01:15Our analyst Merrick Gwynne-Jones will fill us in.

01:47Knocking on Europe's door.

01:48As a Ukrainian counterpart of the country's highest state honor, current and former Ukrainian officials are renouncing their own awards.

01:56The latest episode of a spat that is hard to understand for outsiders.

02:00Tensions have been rising between Kiev and Warsaw since Zelensky named a military unit after a World War II Ukrainian

02:07insurgent army.

02:09Very controversial in Poland.

02:11But first, the situation in the Middle East, where things were a little bumpy last night.

02:17The Iranians temporarily walked out of the talks in Switzerland, leaving US Vice President J.D. Vance a bit nonplussed.

02:24The reason for this stunning turn were threats by President Donald Trump to strike Iran even harder if Tehran doesn't

02:32agree to a deal.

02:33To make sense of it all, let's head over to Doha, where our correspondent Laila Humaira has the latest for

02:39us.

02:40Good morning, Laila.

02:41So, what can you tell us about the talks near Lucerne?

02:45Are they still happening?

02:46What's going on?

02:50That's right, Stefan.

02:51Good morning.

02:51As you said there, these intense eight-hour marathon negotiations have concluded in Switzerland,

02:58with representatives from pretty much all sides hailing it as a constructive step forward and with good progress made.

03:06Now, in a joint statement, the mediators Qatar and Pakistan announced a roadmap,

03:10which builds on the memorandum of understanding signed between the U.S. and Iran last week,

03:15to reach a final deal to end the war within 60 days.

03:20Now, one of the key points in this roadmap is the setting up of a high-level committee

03:25and de-confliction mechanisms to seize all hostilities in Lebanon,

03:31which we know has been a sticking point in these negotiations.

03:34So, despite those tense moments in Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, we do have a positive outcome.

03:41And Laila, what about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz this morning?

03:46The Iranians closed it again over the weekend.

03:48Give us an update.

03:52Yes, that's right.

03:53Despite the breakthrough politically we saw in Switzerland,

03:57the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains extremely fragile.

04:01As you said, on Saturday, Iran said it shut down the Strait of Hormuz

04:05in response to Israeli aggression in Lebanon,

04:09which is supposed to see a ceasefire in place right now.

04:12And since Saturday, we've seen vessels try an attempt going into the Strait of Hormuz

04:17only to end up turning back.

04:20Now, on paper, the U.S. and Iran have vowed to restore freedom of navigation back in the Strait of

04:26Hormuz.

04:26But in reality, hundreds of vessels are still stranded and idle in those waters in between that critical shipping waterway.

04:36All right, Laila Humara in Doha for us.

04:39Thank you very much.

04:40Now, let's go to the United Kingdom, where the British press had a busy weekend,

04:45basically announcing the end of Keir Starmer's premiership as early as today.

04:50We know he was in trouble, especially after a by-election in Northern England was won by his internal rival

04:56Andy Burnham.

04:57For more on this, let's bring in our in-house UK policy expert, Merit Gwynne-Jones,

05:02who has been following this drama closely.

05:05Good morning, Merit.

05:05Good morning, Stefan.

05:06So, Merit, this comes two years after a landslide victory by Starmer and his Labour Party in the general election.

05:16What has changed?

05:17Well, indeed, Stefan, what's changed is that pressure has now been mounting on the Prime Minister Keir Starmer for weeks.

05:23His approval ratings are really quite abysmal.

05:26That's due to a series of unpopular U-turns on policy, also controversy around the fact that he appointed Peter

05:33Mandelson, of course,

05:34the role of the UK ambassador to the US.

05:36Such is the pressure now that members of his own Labour Party believe the party would be better off without

05:41him

05:41and that the country also would be better off with another leader.

05:44So what we're expecting today, Stefan, is for possibly Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.

05:51That could mean departing by the July parliamentary recess or as late as the autumn and to make way for

05:58another leader to step in and to become prime minister.

06:00What's unclear is whether there will be a formal contest between two or more candidates or whether Andy Burnham will

06:08be fast-tracked to the premiership.

06:10He's, of course, the former Manchester mayor.

06:13He won a crucial by-election last week, as you mentioned, in a very pro-Brexit, I would say, constituency

06:20where Reform UK,

06:21the party of Nigel Farage, has been performing very well in recent local elections.

06:26He won that.

06:26And many members of the Labour Party believe now that Andy Burnham, informally known as the King of the North,

06:33you know, he's an outsider to the Westminster elite,

06:35and many believe he's the only man who can really stem the meteoric rise of Reform UK, Nigel Farage's party,

06:43and the only hope now for the Labour Party.

06:46So if this does happen, as we expect, Stefan, this would mean the seventh UK prime minister in 10 years,

06:52which is really a sign of the instability that they're facing.

06:54Well, interesting stuff. What does it mean internationally? Should Brussels be paying attention?

07:00Well, as you know, you know, Stam has been playing a key role when it comes to bolstering Europe's defences,

07:05along with his allies, one of only two nuclear powers in Europe, of course,

07:09a key role in the format of the E3, along with France and Germany,

07:12and also in the process of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and the peace process in Ukraine.

07:17He's been playing a really critical role.

07:19The fear now, probably for Europe, is that we have a lame duck prime minister in the UK for a

07:24few months.

07:25That could maybe further undermine Europe's authority.

07:28And crucially, Stefan, and finally, this comes on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum tomorrow.

07:34And we know that Salma had made it his priority to restore ties with the European Union.

07:39We are expecting him here in Brussels at the end of July to tie up a string of deals with

07:46the EU on closer collaboration.

07:47The question now is, will he be in power for that?

07:50Will he have the authority to do that?

07:53And will his successor have the same vision as him when it comes to ties with the European Union?

07:59Well, looking forward to that.

08:00I see what prime minister will come to Brussels in July.

08:05Merrick Gwynne-Jones there, thanks for bringing us up to date.

08:08Of course, all this drama in London unfolds as the United Kingdom wants to put its post-Brexit relationship with

08:15the EU on a new footing.

08:17Short of membership, of course.

08:20Now, one country that wants membership is Moldova.

08:23In fact, Moldova applied to join the EU in March 2022, received candidate status in June that year, and formally

08:30opened accession negotiations in June 2024.

08:34The latest phase, launched in Luxembourg on the 15th of June of this year, concerns the so-called fundamentals cluster.

08:43That's the part of accession talks that often determines the pace and credibility of the entire process.

08:49Let's talk about today's EU Moldova summit now with Moldova's foreign minister, Mihaly Popsoy, who joins me here on the

08:56set.

08:56Good morning, minister.

08:57Great to have you with us.

08:58Good morning.

08:59It's a pleasure to be back.

09:00So, that cluster that I mentioned earlier matters because it's not confined to technical lawmaking, if I may say.

09:09It examines whether democratic institutions are stable, whether corruption is being tackled, whether the courts are independent, whether public money

09:18is traceable, and whether fundamental rights are protected in practice.

09:23How do you feel about these talks?

09:25Well, these talks are very important to us, and the fact that Moldova has been able to reach this important

09:30milestone a few days ago, opening the clusters and now having our second Moldova European Union summit,

09:38is a testament to the effort and to the progress that Moldovan institutions and Moldovan society is reaching under very

09:45difficult circumstances.

09:46When it comes to the fundamentals, we would not have it any other way.

09:51It is very much in our interest, in the interest of Moldovan citizens, to make sure that we consolidate Moldovan

09:56institutions, that we make democratic consolidation irreversible,

10:01that we deliver to the promise we made to our citizens to combat effectively corruption, to consolidate democratic freedoms.

10:07This is, at the end, part and parcel of our political agenda.

10:11If it also helps us to join the European Union, it's great, but our commitment is to our citizens back

10:16home,

10:17and we are thankful that this commitment is paying off, including in the opening of the first cluster on fundamentals.

10:24I want to ask you about Russia that continues to exert pressure on Moldova through disinformation energy leverage,

10:32and, of course, the unresolved issue of Transnistria.

10:37Is the EU doing enough to help you guys with this, or are you still largely on your own?

10:44The European Union and EU member states have been incredibly supportive of the Republic of Moldova throughout the past years,

10:51when circumstances have been very difficult, including in the energy sphere.

10:55But, of course, we are in the driver's seat, and we need to deliver on our own efforts back home.

11:01And we are working tirelessly, proactively, to engage with the folks from the left bank in the Transnistrian region of

11:07the Republic of Moldova

11:08to make sure that all Moldovan citizens, no matter where they live, on which part of the river, benefit from

11:13Moldova's EU accession.

11:15So it's an important process in making sure that Moldova advances on its European path.

11:20And the two tracks, the European integration and the reintegration of the Transnistrian region, are two parallel tracks,

11:27because otherwise we would give the Kremlin leverage and de facto veto over our accession process.

11:33But we are working hard to make sure that all Moldovan citizens benefit like they had already benefited from the

11:40deep and comprehensive free-to-date area,

11:42which the Transnistrian region of Moldova has benefited a lot as well.

11:45All right, it's Mikhail Popsoy, the foreign minister of Moldova there.

11:50Thank you, sir, for helping us understand your perspective.

11:54We stay in Eastern Europe and go to Ukraine and Poland.

11:57An old conflict that goes back to World War II is at the origin of a diplomatic row between Warsaw

12:03and Kiev that gets nastier almost by the day.

12:06The latest is that Polish President Nowrowski stripped President Zelensky of Ukraine of Warsaw's highest state honor.

12:13What's it all about?

12:14But Jakub Janos has the details.

12:19Politics is about symbols, and this time was no different.

12:23A recent military designation has sparked a major diplomatic crisis between Warsaw and Kiev.

12:28President Volodymyr Zelensky named an elite special operations unit, AFCE UPA Heroes, to honor their modern battlefield performance.

12:37And in response, Polish President Karol Nowrowski announced intentions to strip Zelensky of Poland's highest state award, the Order of

12:45the White Eagle.

12:46This dispute exposes deeply conflicting national narratives.

12:50What exactly is going on here?

12:53For Poland, the UPA, so Ukrainian insurgent army, is responsible for a campaign of genocidal ethnic cleansing in the 1940s

13:02that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 100,000 Polish civilians in Volin in Ukrainian or Voin in Polish,

13:10so a historic region with deep Polish and Ukrainian roots.

13:13This violence also systematically targeted Jewish survivors who had escaped the Holocaust.

13:19Conversely, for Ukraine, the UPA is remembered as a symbol of anti-Soviet resistance and a heroic struggle for independence.

13:26And as Ukraine defends itself against the full-scale Russian invasion, this legacy of resistance is viewed as a vital

13:33tool for public resilience.

13:34And Ukrainian officials emphasize that this designation was a grassroots request from the front-line soldiers, with no anti-Polish

13:42intentions.

13:43However, Polish leaders maintain that the memory of the victims is entirely non-negotiable.

13:48The risks of this trust crisis are exceptionally high, with some in Warsaw even calling for blocking Ukraine's EU accession

13:55over the scandal.

13:56And public solidarity is also facing pressure, as this unresolved dispute risks breaking the bond between both nations.

14:03In addressing the tension, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that both nations must prevent historical emotions from destroying their

14:11solidarity.

14:12A prolonged conflict, Tusk warned, ultimately only serves the strategic interests of Moscow.

14:18So, as said, politics is about symbols, but this time it could be different.

14:22Because history shows that even the deepest historical wounds can be managed through active cooperation.

14:29A precedent clearly seen in the journey of Polish-German reconciliation.

14:35The Ukrainian insurgent army will always remain a deeply divisive symbol.

14:39Yet, the shared security of both nations today depends on managing this historical pain together,

14:46rather than allowing the past to shatter their alliance.

14:54Well, these intentions voiced by the Polish president are finally becoming reality.

14:59To get to the bottom of this, I'm glad to have our expert, Sasha Vakulina, in the studio now.

15:04Good morning, Sasha.

15:05Good morning.

15:06So, the Polish president stripped Zelensky of his honorary title.

15:10What was the reaction in Ukraine?

15:12The reaction was immediate with Wladimir Zelensky sending it back to Warsaw.

15:17You can see here the photos with the medal, the Order of the White Eagle being sent by Zelensky back

15:23to Warsaw to Kolonarovsky.

15:25There is this invoice with his name there, you can see.

15:27And Zelensky explained his decision on X, saying,

15:30If it is considered that this special symbol may remain with Catherine II, Benito Mussolini, and Gerhard Schroeder,

15:38then we in Ukraine will not argue with that.

15:42Following Zelensky's decision, also the head of his office, the foreign minister of Ukraine,

15:46the ambassador of Ukraine to Poland, and three ex-presidents of Ukraine all renounced their orders.

15:52That was quite a mix of recipients there.

15:57This is quite an unprecedented escalation between Warsaw and Kiev.

16:02What's happening next?

16:03Well, that's a huge question also, because later this week,

16:06the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference is taking place in Gdańsk, in Poland,

16:10which should be co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland.

16:12According to Euronews sources, Wladimir Zelensky was confirmed as of last week to participate.

16:17Now it's an open question whether he will show up in Gdańsk.

16:22All right, Sascha Vakulina here in the studio.

16:25Thank you very much for these insights.

16:27And now let's talk football.

16:35And there were some eye-popping results last night.

16:38First of all, Mohamed Salah led Egypt to their first ever World Cup victory

16:42as they recovered to beat New Zealand 3-1,

16:45moving to the top of Group G and boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

16:50In that same Group G, Iran battled to a well-deserved point against 10-man Belgium

16:55with a 0-0 draw.

16:57Iran's hopes of making the knockout stages are now very much alive,

17:00whereas the Red Devils provided their fans with another evening of disappointment.

17:05And I think I'm going to hear a lot about that in Brussels today.

17:09Then, Cape Verde continued the adventure as the team produced another shocker

17:13by forcing a 2-2 draw on Eurograde.

17:16A result that gets them second in their group for now.

17:20Remember, they drew with Spain in their tournament debut, which was their first stunner.

17:24Speaking of Spain, the team showed signs of regained consciousness

17:28by delivering a 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia,

17:32with superstar Lamin Jamal becoming only the second player aged 18 and under

17:37to open scoring in a World Cup match.

17:40On the menu today is Argentina against Australia,

17:43France versus Iraq, Norway, Senegal and Jordan against Algeria.

17:48That's it for today.

17:49Thanks for joining us this Monday morning.

17:51Do get in touch with any of your questions or comments via our email address.

17:55That's europetoday at euronews.com.

17:57In the meantime, stay with us for more of the latest news live here on Euro News.

18:02I'm Stefan Grobe. Take care and see you tomorrow.

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