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Europe Today: Άντρις Κούλμπεργκς στο Euronews, Ρούμπιο συναντά Λαβρόφ
Ο Άντρις Κούλμπεργκς γίνεται πρωθυπουργός της Λετονίας τον Μάιο μετά την κατάρρευση της κυβέρνησης για τα αδέσποτα drones: μιλά αποκλειστικά στην Euronews καθώς ο Αμερικανός ΥΠΕΞ Μάρκο Ρούμπιο συναντά σήμερα τον Σεργκέι Λαβρόφ για το τέλος του πολέμου στην Ουκρανία
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ : http://gr.euronews.com/2026/07/23/europe-today-latvian-pm-andris-kulbergs-speaks-exclusively-to-euronews-as-rubio-meets-lavr
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Ο Άντρις Κούλμπεργκς γίνεται πρωθυπουργός της Λετονίας τον Μάιο μετά την κατάρρευση της κυβέρνησης για τα αδέσποτα drones: μιλά αποκλειστικά στην Euronews καθώς ο Αμερικανός ΥΠΕΞ Μάρκο Ρούμπιο συναντά σήμερα τον Σεργκέι Λαβρόφ για το τέλος του πολέμου στην Ουκρανία
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ : http://gr.euronews.com/2026/07/23/europe-today-latvian-pm-andris-kulbergs-speaks-exclusively-to-euronews-as-rubio-meets-lavr
Γίνε συνδρομητής! ! Το euronews είναι διαθέσιμο σε 12 γλώσσες
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00:14Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:30He will discuss the war in Ukraine with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov when they meet in the Philippines
00:36later today.
00:38U.S. brokered talks between Kiev and Moscow have stalled, but Rubio says there may be, quote,
00:44new conditions to bring both sides back to the table.
00:48We'll bring you more details.
00:50In other news, the European Commission has said it is preparing to accept new U.S. tariffs in the coming
00:56days,
00:56as long as they do not exceed the 15% cap agreed under the EU-U.S. trade deal sealed
01:04a year ago.
01:05Trump is expected to announce fresh levies on goods allegedly made with forced labor.
01:11And the U.S. has signed a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia,
01:16expected to allow the Gulf country to develop its own civilian nuclear program.
01:21The U.S. Energy Department has described the deal as a peaceful cooperation agreement that will benefit American companies.
01:30But we start this morning in Latvia.
01:34Andris Kulbergs became the Baltic country's prime minister in May
01:37after the previous coalition government collapsed over its handling of stray drones.
01:43Latvia is, of course, one of NATO's frontline states, bordering Russia on Europe's eastern flank
01:49and plays a leading role in supporting Ukraine.
01:53And prime minister Andris Kulbergs joins us live now from Riga.
01:58Prime minister, good morning.
02:00Really good to have you with us on the show.
02:03Good morning, Brussels.
02:04Yesterday, your armed forces in Latvia fired a warning shot
02:10and used tear gas to prevent migrants from crossing from Belarus.
02:15Do you believe, prime minister, that Minsk and Moscow are instrumentalizing these migrants
02:21in order to destabilize your country?
02:24I do not believe.
02:26I am sure.
02:27This happens since 2021.
02:29We're being tested, not just us.
02:31This moment, it is us.
02:34It is any given moment.
02:35It is our neighbors, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland or Poland.
02:38Any of us are tested.
02:41This is a hybrid threat.
02:42This is a war threat.
02:43That's what Russia does.
02:45This is for sure because we can see that it is not just asylum seekers
02:49what somebody might think of.
02:51They are really men, 18 to 25, with criminal past,
02:57with all given visas from Belarus.
03:00This is all organized from the top level of Russian mob as well.
03:06So this is an organized threat towards us to find a weak link.
03:11And we all have to do all the measures, take all the measures to prevent that.
03:15And why, prime minister, do you think that this is intensifying now?
03:19Why is Putin deciding to target Latvia in this hybrid war at this moment?
03:26Because he's losing in Ukraine.
03:29Simple.
03:29He needs to take attention somewhere else and have this action.
03:35Prime minister, I want to move on to talk about drones
03:38because the previous government there in Latvia collapsed
03:41amid criticism over its handling of incursions.
03:44What are you and your government doing differently
03:48to ensure Latvia is better prepared and protected against this threat?
03:52We're not simple.
03:54We're talking the truth.
03:55We're not giving any anticipations which cannot be met.
03:59We immediately have, I appointed the defense minister,
04:04a professional, not just from Latvia, but from the field in Ukraine,
04:08who has clear knowledge, clear experience of warfare,
04:13what is happening in Ukraine.
04:14So getting the best of the best solution for us.
04:18So we signed a drone deal with Zelensky.
04:21This gives us access to the Ukrainian know-how
04:24and implement the umbrella for our skies in the best possible way.
04:29Do you think that the EU more broadly is moving quick enough on this?
04:34Because we know that this is a threat across the eastern flank.
04:37We know that the European Commission here are talking about a drone wall.
04:41Are you confident that those European initiatives will also work?
04:45They will work, but they have to be much faster in speed.
04:49You pointed it out really correctly.
04:51We are not up to speed.
04:53We are not just Latvia.
04:55We're investing 5%, above 5%, actually 6%, above 6% in our defense.
05:01Clear defense.
05:02Not some buildings.
05:03Real defense.
05:04But that is even not enough for the outside of European border,
05:08so eastern flank.
05:09We're defending all Europe, not just Latvia.
05:11So this is a matter which has to be whole Europe's matter for the defense.
05:15And this is an important point where we all have to be united.
05:20And, Prime Minister, when it comes to supporting Ukraine,
05:22obviously squeezing Moscow's war chest is very important.
05:26Yet we have now Greece blocking the latest package of EU sanctions against Russia
05:32as it seeks an exemption from the ban on Russian LNG.
05:36Does that frustrate you?
05:40Well, I've been quite vocal about it also in my speeches in our closed loop as well of the leaders.
05:48We have to understand what is the purpose of the sanctions.
05:52Why are we doing that?
05:53Why are we supporting Ukraine?
05:55This is number one question prior to anything else.
05:58Do we want Ukraine to win?
06:00Do we want to support Ukraine so that the bully gets its peace?
06:05Or what do we want?
06:06Or we want to earn money?
06:07So there's a choice.
06:10It's not both.
06:11So the sanctions have to be implemented.
06:13But, above all, the best sanctions that work today are the long-range Ukrainian sanctions deep into Russian heart,
06:23which is gas infrastructure, petrol station infrastructure.
06:26That is the biggest pride what Russia has.
06:30That's their only asset is selling gas.
06:32Now, the pump versus Putin's propaganda is working because the pump is winning.
06:39The pump where people cannot put their gas into their cars.
06:43That is the deepest sanction and the deepest signal to the whole society.
06:47The latest sanctions package was also meant to include a full EU entry ban on Russian soldiers.
06:54Are you disappointed that this has been watered down in these negotiations?
07:00I am.
07:01I am.
07:02Because, well, first of all, this is sanction package 21.
07:05We should have done it in the first year, not in the fifth year.
07:10We're waiting.
07:11We're doing all that.
07:13Let's see how it works.
07:15No.
07:15If we want to win, we have to give it.
07:17Where was it?
07:18Remember, what happened in the first year?
07:20We said, oh, no, don't shoot over the border.
07:23It's going to cause a chaos.
07:24It's going to cause...
07:25What happened?
07:27Nothing much has happened.
07:28But the escalation with so many Ukrainians had to die just because we did not take the decision timely enough.
07:35So I think it's all in all our interests just to finally unite, push it through, and give the Ukrainians
07:44the momentum to use the momentum what they have now.
07:46Okay.
07:47Prime Minister Andres Kulbergs, that's all we have time for, I'm afraid.
07:50But thank you so much for joining us.
07:52And we hope to see you again soon on Europe Today.
07:56Now we're moving on.
07:57The annual NATO summit earlier this month was hailed as a step towards a more balanced U.S.-European relationship.
08:05It also reconfirmed Russia as an ongoing threat to the alliance.
08:10Today, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss ending the war
08:16in Ukraine.
08:17This, as the war on Iran shows no signs of subsiding.
08:21To discuss all of this, I'm glad that we can say we can bring in our NATO correspondent, Shauna Murray,
08:27who is live for us from the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
08:31Good morning, Shauna.
08:32Great to see you.
08:33The Ankara summit earlier this month, I know you were there, proved quite a positive moment for Ukraine.
08:39Is there hope now that the U.S. might do more to pressure Russia?
08:47Well, good morning, Murray.
08:48Indeed, it was a step towards Europe really stepping up, bringing the establishment of NATO 3.0 with a lot
08:55of procurement, 50 billion euros in procurement for European capabilities.
09:00At the same time, as you mentioned there, it was a good day for Ukraine in Ankara because the United
09:05States allowed the licensing and manufacturing of crucial patriot defence systems.
09:10And today, Marco Rubio said he is meeting his counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
09:15The jury's out as to whether this means that it's a definitive moment because we heard also Marco Rubio saying
09:21that he won't be putting too much pressure on Lavrov.
09:24Lavrov also saying he's going to question Marco Rubio comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said that the
09:30war in Ukraine is coming closer to an end.
09:33So to discuss this, I'm joined by Colonel Martin O'Donnell, who's the senior advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander of
09:39the European Forces here at NATO.
09:42Martin, that meeting today with Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov, do you hope something will come out of it because
09:48of what we've seen in terms of the signs of Ukraine doing much better on the battlefield and Russia really
09:55on the back foot?
09:56Well, I think Secretary Rubio has said the meeting will comprise of a number of different things.
10:01We'll see what comes out of it in terms of peace.
10:04Of course, we all hope for and really want to see peace in Ukraine.
10:07The important thing to note, though, is until that point comes, NATO will continue to support Ukraine.
10:12Yeah, but do you think that it's possible because of that signal that Donald Trump gave the Ukrainians that they
10:20can manufacture and license Patriot defense missiles, that the United States is sort of a bit annoyed that Putin has
10:26not in any meaningful way come to the table when it comes to peace, that maybe the U.S. is
10:31giving a little bit more support to Ukraine than we've seen so far in the past couple of years?
10:35Yeah, I mean, President Trump has been pretty clear. He wants to bring about a peaceful end to that, to
10:40stop all of the stop all of the killing.
10:42So then you see responses like like you just described. And I think those are very, very positive, positive movements
10:50towards peace.
10:52On the Iran issue, because we know that the war there has started apace, and in fact, it was at
10:57the NATO summit that Donald Trump decided that the Memorandum of Understanding was no more.
11:02That's not a good sign for NATO, because we know that Donald Trump was outraged that allies didn't support him
11:07in the initial days of the war.
11:08What do you think allies can do in defending the United States if they want to, and also the reopening
11:15of the Strait of Rome, because that's what everyone's very concerned about?
11:17Yes, I think it's not a good thing for anyone, right, that this is going on, that Iran has said,
11:23hey, we'll control the Strait of Hormuz.
11:27All the allies agreed at the NATO summit that you talked about that the Strait of Hormuz must remain free,
11:33and free it will.
11:34And if NATO can play a role, we've said time and time again we will.
11:37A lot of nations, bilaterally, multilaterally, have sent ships already to the region.
11:42Nations are also supporting the United States in other ways.
11:47Bulgaria, for example, their parliament yet met yesterday, decided to support the basing of U.S. refuelers.
11:56That was followed by a statement from a U.S. European command saying that they will support Bulgaria with United
12:02States assets in the region
12:04if anybody thinks that they can threaten the United States or NATO.
12:07So these are strong reactions.
12:09They are indeed, but the Iranians have responded to that and said that that might bring Bulgaria as a party
12:15to the conflict.
12:16So there is a threat that this war in Iran could explode even further.
12:21Well, look, we saw that when Iran fired missiles towards Turkey, right, a NATO ally.
12:26Of course, NATO defended in all of those instances, and we will continue to defend against any threat posed by
12:32Iran or anyone else to this defensive alliance.
12:34Colonel Mark O'Donnell, thank you very much for joining us this morning.
12:37Thank you.
12:37And back to you in studio, Marad.
12:39Shauna, thank you so much.
12:40And thank you also to your guests there.
12:43Now, the European Commission is rumoured to be preparing to announce its first fine on Google under the Digital Markets
12:51Act,
12:51which is a set of laws aiming to rein in the power of big tech.
12:55This announcement could come as early as today.
12:58The move, of course, risks escalating tensions with the U.S. administration, which is critical of the EU's digital rules.
13:05Well, for more, I'm joined in the studio by our correspondent, Luca Bertuzzi.
13:09Luca, tell us first, what do we know about this expected fine on Google?
13:14Yes, indeed, Marad.
13:16We have been hearing about this fine for a few days now, and it's rumoured as imminent as early as
13:22today,
13:23even though we have no details about the total amount that is expected in the range of billions of euros.
13:32This is the culmination of a two-year investigation into Google
13:37and accusation that the tech company is favouring its own services in search results
13:45and preventing app developers to communicate with users outside its app store and with alternative payment systems.
13:54Now, the European Commission has been criticised for being too slow in cracking down on big tech companies,
14:02taking years to conclude investigations only after the damage was already done
14:07and the competition squeezed out of the market.
14:11This is precisely what the Digital Markets Act is trying to avoid
14:15by bringing in a set of ex-ante rules meant to prevent Google and similar dominant companies
14:25to prevent European companies to compete in the same markets.
14:31This is the first investigation for Google, and it might be a testing bet
14:38for how Brussels is capable to make digital markets dominated by tech giants more contestable.
14:45Indeed, and also the timing of this one is quite notable
14:49because tensions with the US are quite high.
14:53So how could this impact that US-EU relationship?
14:56Well, indeed, there is never a dull moment in transatlantic relationship
15:00with Donald Trump in the White House.
15:02And as we heard before, Washington is preparing fresh tariffs
15:08as the current regime will expire in a few days.
15:13In the past, sanctioning American companies has proved controversial even inside the Commission,
15:19with senior officials working on a trade deal with the US pushing to delay fines.
15:25In this case, Brussels seems determined to go ahead nevertheless,
15:29but many will wonder how Washington will react.
15:33Indeed, Luca, thank you for that.
15:35And as mentioned, that fine rumoured to be imminent.
15:40Now we're moving on.
15:41As efforts to enlarge the European Union gain political momentum,
15:46attention is now turning to how future enlargements will be financed.
15:50The cost of Montenegro's accession is already being debated
15:53as part of negotiations of the EU's next long-term budget.
15:58Meanwhile, some countries, including Germany,
16:01are pushing for a major overhaul of the bloc's enlargement rules.
16:05Euronews' Lena Roche sat down with Germany's Minister of State for Europe,
16:10Gunther Krichbaum,
16:11and started by asking him about Germany's recent proposal
16:15to allow candidate countries, notably Ukraine,
16:18to join the bloc in stages before completing all the required reforms.
16:24First of all, it is a common proposal from France and Germany,
16:29and we want to give more credibility to the enlargement process.
16:33What does it mean?
16:34At the moment, we are negotiating with all these countries
16:37since a couple of years, more than 10 years.
16:40So ordinary people, they lose their faith.
16:43That means, well, they think this European Union,
16:47in reality, they don't want us.
16:48So giving back more credibility means to organise it step by step by step,
16:55not like a height-jumping competition like it was done in the years,
17:01all the years before, because it is not helpful.
17:05When I talk about a height-jumping competition,
17:08it means the bear is laying on 1,50 m.
17:10But in reality, this acquis communautaire,
17:14which is symbolising this bear,
17:16is not any longer like in former times on 1,50 m,
17:19but on 2 m,
17:21because the whole acquis communautaire changed.
17:24And this means it is more complicated
17:27for these concerned states to jump over it.
17:31In reality, it means to organise it step by step by step,
17:36not to substitute a full membership,
17:38but it is the case that we have to find a better approach
17:43and a better way to achieve it.
17:45And this is now why they propose this gradual integration.
17:50And this is important because after I each step,
17:54ordinary people and citizens,
17:56they will recognise an added value.
17:58So this is important and means to find here association membership,
18:05with a membership in the council,
18:09with a membership in the European Parliament,
18:13with a status as an observer,
18:16and so they can join.
18:18And at the same moment,
18:19we are giving a message also to other countries,
18:22like Russia, like China,
18:24these states belong to us, to the European Union.
18:27And what about the costs of the EU enlargement?
18:31Can the EU net contributors even afford this anymore?
18:35Well, all this will be managed
18:37in the multi-annual financial framework.
18:40So we have a budget in the European Union.
18:45And for this purpose,
18:46also the money which is inside this financial framework,
18:53in this budget.
18:54So, of course, also in the future,
18:57it will be guaranteed.
19:00That was Euronews' Lena Roche,
19:02speaking to the German Minister of State for Europe,
19:05Gunther Kriegbaum in Berlin.
19:07And that brings today's programme to a close.
19:10Thank you so much for your company again this morning.
19:12Remember, we also want to hear from you.
19:15Send us your feedback to Europe Today at Euronews.com.
19:18And in the meantime, take care and see you tomorrow.
19:22See you tomorrow.
19:51in the meantime, take care and see you tomorrow.
20:00See you tomorrow.
20:00See you tomorrow.
20:00See you tomorrow.
20:00See you tomorrow.
20:01See you tomorrow.
20:02See you tomorrow.
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