Europe Today: Russia hits Kyiv as Merz visits; Bolsonaro wins Brazil's first round election

Name: Europe Today: Russia hits Kyiv as Merz visits; Bolsonaro wins Brazil's first round election
Uploaded: 2026-10-05T07:45:50+00:00
Duration: 19 min 30 s
Channel: euronews (in English)

00:13Good morning, it is Monday the 5th of October. I'm Maeve MacMahon and this is Europe Today.

00:20Your morning update of European news and analysis live here on Euronews.

00:25Coming up in elections closely watched here in Brussels that saw 159 million people eligible to vote,

00:33the right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has won the first round in Brazil.

00:38All eyes on the second round of votes on the 25th of October when he'll face off against left-wing

00:44incumbent president Lula da Silva.

00:47Meanwhile, over in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez looks increasingly likely to call a snap election

00:54with the 29th of November a potential date after his government suffered a defeat in Parliament on Friday

01:01with lawmakers rejecting two key housing decrees.

01:05Tens of thousands of people have been on the streets of Spain calling for more action to tackle the mounting

01:11housing crisis.

01:12And in Lafayette, Prime Minister Andres Kulbergs and his centrist pro-Ukraine United List Party

01:18have won parliamentary elections by a wide margin.

01:21On the campaign trail, Kulbergs pledged to keep defence spending at 5% of GDP.

01:27That's one of the highest levels in NATO.

01:29This as student blockades continue to grip France,

01:33with up to 500 high schools entirely or partially closed today.

01:37Since the protests began last week in Paris,

01:40with students staging sit-ins over overcrowding,

01:42teacher shortages and dilapidated buildings,

01:46over 5,000 people have been arrested

01:48and dozens of both students and teachers injured.

01:51But first, to Ukraine, where German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz

01:54made a surprise visit this weekend,

01:57pledging a major new 1.3 billion defence and energy package.

02:01There was also major damage to Kiev's northern bridge,

02:05hitting seriously important infrastructure.

02:07For more, we can bring in now Charles Michel,

02:10the former EU Council President

02:11and, of course, the former Prime Minister of Belgium.

02:14You're also just back from New York, where you met President Zelensky.

02:17Tell us about the significance of this attack

02:19that took place this very weekend as Friedrich Mertz was visiting.

02:23There is no doubt that Russia is trying to increase the pressure

02:25against Ukraine and against the European Union.

02:28And there is only one possible answer, in my view,

02:31that's more support for Ukraine.

02:33We know from the one that the Ukrainians are brave,

02:37they are fighting for the future,

02:39but also for our principles and for our freedoms.

02:42And that's why I think that we need to be clear,

02:45we need to be strong.

02:45It means more financial support,

02:48more military collaboration with Ukraine.

02:50And how significant is it this 1.3 billion euro package from the Germans?

02:54It's very good that Germany is making a clear choice.

02:58And there's no doubt that in the month to come,

03:00and certainly next year, with a lot of elections within the EU,

03:04it will be very important to send a very clear signal

03:07that we do not give up, that we know what is at stake.

03:10And it's important that the political leaders all across the EU

03:13are clear with the voters, with the citizens,

03:17explaining that what we do for Ukraine

03:18is not something for Ukraine.

03:20That's for Ukraine, and it's for our common future.

03:23And we've been hearing that the Americans

03:25are trying to broker some sort of deal again

03:27between Kyiv and Moscow.

03:28What are you hearing? Were you hearing any signs of progress

03:31in New York last week?

03:32No, I'm very doubtful.

03:33I think there are a lot of ambiguities coming from the United States,

03:36ambiguities towards Russia.

03:38I do not feel reassured.

03:39I don't feel represented by the Americans

03:42when it is about the future of Ukraine

03:44and the future of the European continent.

03:47That's why you know there is no doubt, in my opinion,

03:50that this ambition of European sovereignty,

03:54that's not something on paper.

03:56That's not something in theory.

03:57It means that we need to make decisions for our economic basis

04:01because that's the key condition,

04:03but also for more European capabilities in the field of defence

04:07so that we have a seat around the table

04:10and that we are not just on the menu.

04:12And what was the message that Zelenskyy made to you?

04:15He's strong, and I have to say that I'm really impressed by his courage.

04:21I think that he's leading the country,

04:24he's running the country in extremely difficult conditions,

04:28and that's why he deserves our support without any hesitation.

04:31Okay, Sharmashal, stay with us here on set as we move on to another story.

04:35Of course, that's a situation in the Middle East.

04:37We've seen Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister say that Washington has replied

04:40to Tehran's proposal to end the US war on Iran

04:43and that the response is now under internal review.

04:46We'll keep a close eye on that because, of course,

04:48it comes as G7 leaders agreed Friday to take control

04:50of the spiralling energy crisis.

04:53For more on that, we can head over now to Doha,

04:56where Eurion News' Adil Khalim is standing by for us.

04:59Good morning, Adil.

05:00So we've seen on Friday the G7 releasing 100 million barrels

05:03from emergency reserves.

05:05Will that be enough, though, to bring energy prices down?

05:10Probably not for long, Maeve.

05:12What this really does is buy government some time.

05:14The pressure we're seeing on energy markets

05:16is tied to what's happening in this region,

05:19shipping through the Strait of Hormuz

05:21has been severely disrupted since the start of this war.

05:24And according to Reuters,

05:25Europe has lost a quarter of its diesel and jet fuel supply

05:28since Iran started blocking the strait.

05:31Now, diesel matters because it keeps trucks running,

05:34it keeps farms moving, and goods being delivered.

05:36So when that price goes up, we all feel the pinch.

05:39The G7 release should also take some pressure off prices,

05:42but again, these are temporary measures.

05:43These are emergency reserves,

05:45and they don't fix the underlying problem.

05:47So this does buy Europe some breathing space,

05:50but it doesn't end the energy crunch.

05:52Maeve?

05:54And Adil, with tensions still high across the region,

05:56how much worse do you think this energy crisis could get?

06:01Well, there's actually some encouraging news this morning, Maeve.

06:04New shipping data from Kaepeler

06:06showed Middle East oil experts, excluding Iran,

06:08have now returned to around pre-war levels.

06:11Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been able to move more oil

06:14through pipelines that bypass the strait of Hormuz.

06:16Around 40% is now avoiding the strait altogether.

06:19But it's still a very fragile situation.

06:21Iran continues to threaten unauthorized shipping through the strait.

06:25We are seeing vessels being targeted,

06:28and the situation in Yemen is complicating another key waterway through the Red Sea.

06:34And OPEC Plus has decided to keep production steady through November,

06:39with Brent still trading above $100 a barrel.

06:42So the oil is getting out,

06:44but through a more complicated and risky network of routes,

06:47and any further disruption could quickly put pressure on prices.

06:51Maeve?

06:51And that's why, of course, European leaders as well are feeling the pressure.

06:54Adil Haleem, thank you so much for that live broadcast there from Doha.

06:57And Charmichelle is too with us here on set.

06:59And you know what it's like to sit in a room and deal with the crisis.

07:02And this war in Iran, it's impacting our pockets here in Europe.

07:06But we've no say over the direction it's taking.

07:09Yeah, I think it's absolutely important to have more ambition

07:12from a European perspective in the Middle East.

07:16We are not seen as a decisive player, as a decisive actor.

07:22But maybe that's also because of our responsibility.

07:25And if I look at the situation in that region,

07:27there is an issue with Iran for many years.

07:29The people of Iran, they suffered two dictatorships.

07:32The Shah dictatorship, the Mullahs dictatorship.

07:35You know, when you repeat systematically the same behavior,

07:39don't be surprised that you get the same result.

07:41And this is what is going on in Iran.

07:43On the one hand, we have tried diplomacy.

07:46We have tried political engagement.

07:48We found substantial results.

07:50More terrorism, more support for proxies by the regime in Iran.

07:55The nuclear threat, the use of hostages, foreign hostages,

07:59to put pressure on governments within the EU.

08:03And on the other hand, we can see that the military intervention

08:06launched by Israel and the United States,

08:09it doesn't lead to the result that we would like to get.

08:13So the Europeans are not doing enough to put pressure on the Americans,

08:15who, of course, have the say here.

08:17Look, it's absolutely clear that we need to make some choices.

08:19And today, together with more than 20 former head of state,

08:25head of government, head of international organizations,

08:27we launched a call, a call on the EU to explore new options.

08:33We have tried appeasement and diplomatic engagement.

08:35We are observing that a military intervention is tried by the United States and Israel.

08:42We think that other options should be developed

08:44with the ambition to put the people of Iran at the heart.

08:48What kind of options? If you're sitting there at the council table, what kind of options?

08:51Look, with the experience I have over the last years,

08:53I'm observing that too often in the past we have accepted collectively

08:57to consider the people of Iran as the collateral victim of our political decisions.

09:03And it's not acceptable anymore, in my opinion.

09:05That's why I feel it's more support to the people of Iran.

09:08There are a lot of people within the country with hopes,

09:12and with the hope for a better future, to be in charge of their future,

09:19to be more master of our destiny.

09:21I don't think that those people today, they feel a support coming from outside.

09:26And those people in Iran, they face a double punishment,

09:32the consequences of the military intervention on the one hand,

09:35but also the oppression by the regime.

09:37And how could that support to those people look like?

09:40I think there are a lot of options, a lot of possibilities.

09:44The simple fact that from a political point of view,

09:47we sent a clear signal that we are hearing their sufferings,

09:50that we are considering more options in terms of tangible, political,

09:56maybe financial support in some circumstances.

09:59It would be a very powerful signal,

10:01and it could be a third path, a third way.

10:04And once again, Iran and this regime is the source of a lot of uncertainties.

10:11That's a threat, a threat against global security,

10:14a threat against global economy.

10:16We can see the consequences in terms of freedom of navigation

10:19and what it means for all of us in terms of economic consequences.

10:23And what should European governments be doing now

10:24to soften the blow of that energy crisis this winter?

10:26The situation is grim, as we've seen on Friday with that G7 meeting.

10:30Yeah, there is one very powerful signal.

10:33It means that in the future, we need to be less dependent.

10:35We need to be more sovereign, more resilient,

10:39and that's needed to develop our own capabilities.

10:42But of course, a certain interaction with the rest of the world

10:45will be always needed, in my opinion.

10:47And that's why we need to be much more ambitious

10:50in terms of providing stability in that region.

10:53The Middle East, that's not an area that has to be settled

10:59by Mr. Kirchner and by the Americans only.

11:02The European diplomats, the European leaders, they have a role to play.

11:07Why?

11:07Because we are at the front light to suffer the consequences.

11:10If there is more stability in that region, it will be good for us.

11:14It will be good for our economic development.

11:16When it's not the case, we suffer the consequences,

11:18and we can see today in the daily life of our citizens

11:23what are the concrete consequences of that situation.

11:25And people are suffering, and we're hearing messages from, for example,

11:28the Energy Commissioner here in Brussels saying that we need to use less fuel this winter.

11:32Is that sufficient, though, when people are really worried?

11:34Yeah, but it shows our failure.

11:37If we are in such a position, that's because we were not able to manage to be around the table.

11:43Once again, it's the same in Ukraine.

11:45It's the same in the Middle East.

11:47In my view, the destiny of the EU is not to be the vassal of anyone.

11:52The destiny of the EU is to promote our values and to defend our legitimate interests.

11:57And today, we understand that economy and security, it goes together.

12:02These are not two separate topics or two separate areas.

12:06And that's why I hope that the European Council next week will make strong decisions

12:12in relationship with Ukraine, of course, but also in relationship with the Middle East,

12:17and with this purpose to have much more influence to protect much better our fundamental interests.

12:25And as, of course, you mentioned, next year will be a fascinating year for Europe

12:28with so many elections taking place.

12:30Have you followed the scandal going on in France regarding Jordan Bardella?

12:33What's your view here?

12:34I do not have to comment the recent developments in relationship with Jordan Bardella,

12:39but one thing is absolutely clear, the choice for the voters in France,

12:44but also in some other European countries will be a choice for more European integration,

12:49more common sense, that's my personal opinion,

12:53or, on the contrary, a choice for fermentation and a choice for some ambiguities

12:58in relationship with Russia.

13:00On my side, there is no doubt that what we need is more EU, more effectiveness,

13:07and we need also to be very clear that going in the direction of more fragmentation,

13:13more nationalism, more polarisation is the wrong choice,

13:17and it will lead to more poverty and less influence for the EU.

13:20It will be detrimental for the citizens all across the EU.

13:24Okay, Jean-Michel, thank you so much for coming in.

13:26Take care and see you very soon.

13:28Of course, we'll stick to that topic of France,

13:29where Jordan Bardella, the popular young leader of the French far-right national rally,

13:35is gripped in scandal.

13:36Just months ahead of the presidential elections,

13:39he is denied writing anti-Semitic messages back in 2013

13:44after an investigation by the left-leaning outlet Mediaparch alleged that he did.

13:49For more on this story that we're watching closely,

13:51we're joined now by our French politics expert, Maya de la Boon.

13:55Good morning, Maya.

13:55Good morning, Maeve.

13:56So, look, these allegations came out a while ago,

13:58but the story is evolving every day.

14:01Tell us more.

14:01Yes, so the investigative website Mediapart revealed a few weeks ago

14:06that Jordan Bardella, who could be France's next prime minister,

14:10had an exchange of private messages on Facebook in 2013.

14:14So he was 17 years old at the time,

14:17and these messages were directed against Jews.

14:20Those messages were authenticated by Facebook itself and by Mediapart,

14:26last week.

14:27So we can have on screen an extract of these messaging.

14:31So Bardella wrote that the Jew must dominate other peoples,

14:35crush them and rob them.

14:37All banks are held by the Jews.

14:40And what have the reactions been, Maya?

14:42Will this impact the campaign?

14:43So there was a huge political backlash after these revelations.

14:48You know, Maeve, that we are seven months ahead of the next presidential elections in France.

14:55Jordan Bardella, but also Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front,

14:58are the clear frontrunners in this campaign.

15:01And the reactions from the national rally has been to massively rally around Bardella.

15:08We can see it also on screen here.

15:11Marine Le Pen, the leader of the RN, said,

15:14you won't get anyone to believe that.

15:16It's just madness.

15:18I have complete confidence in Jordan.

15:21So there was also an interesting reaction from the opposition leaders in France.

15:27Many of them said that there is still an undercurrent of anti-Semitism in the national rally.

15:34And as you know, this has been a problem inside the RN with Jean-Marie Le Pen,

15:38the founder of the RN, who was sued many times for his anti-Semitic comments.

15:44So all in all, what is exactly the impact of this scandal?

15:48I think that it will be limited.

15:50And the reason is very clear.

15:52The polls are very high when it comes to the national rally.

15:57They're riding very high.

15:58And that's the main point, isn't it, Maia de la Boone?

16:00Thank you so much for your analysis there.

16:03And now to Brazil, where Flavio Bolsonaro,

16:06the son of the former president, Jair Bolsonaro, who's behind bars,

16:11has won the very first round of Brazil's presidential elections,

16:15beating the incumbent left-wing president, Lula da Silva.

16:18But he didn't obtain more than 50% of the votes that are required to win outright.

16:23A second round will be taking place at the end of October.

16:26For analysis, we can bring in now João Albuquerque,

16:29Portuguese political analyst and former MEP.

16:31Good morning, João.

16:32Great to see you and have you here in the studio.

16:35What is your reaction to this outcome?

16:37Well, I would say that it's a sad morning.

16:40It's a worrying morning.

16:41We haven't seen in Brazil since 1989 that the winner of the first round

16:47does not win the second round.

16:48So there is a high chance that Bolsonaro can win again on the 25th of October.

16:52So what will that mean for the world and, of course, for Europe?

16:55I would say that it has a significant impact and the shifts in South America.

17:00You will have the two biggest countries in the South America region

17:04now govern, if Bolsonaro wins, by right-wing conservative majorities with a different agenda,

17:11very close to Donald Trump and moving further away.

17:13And this is the particular point that I want to make,

17:15potentially moving further away from the European Union,

17:18which Lula has managed to do and to bridge in the recent years.

17:21Indeed, there was lots of prospects there for various different deals when it came to trade,

17:24the climate, of course.

17:25Absolutely.

17:26Lula has had a very significant impact in approving the Mercosur agreement,

17:30but also in making sure that we have, on cultural issues,

17:34on progressive and democratic issues,

17:36there was an approximation between the two sides.

17:39And I think it was very important that the two sides managed to come together.

17:43And I think this is at risk now with the election of Bolsonaro.

17:46But it's interesting because the figures show that growth improved under Lula,

17:51but voters, I guess, felt very much crushed by debt.

17:53There is a significant social movement in the last few years

17:57that has put a lot of pressure on the lower class population in Brazil,

18:03specifically because of debts, in terms of credit debts, but also in terms of the bets.

18:07Lula has tried to target this on the last days of the campaign,

18:10but it was significantly not enough,

18:13and not enough to convince the voters to vote for him after what he tried to do.

18:17And as you say, Flavio Bolsonaro,

18:19if elected, he will represent a sharp, hard-line shift to the right.

18:23What kind of radical policy overhaul should we embrace for here in Europe?

18:27I think he will follow the tendency that you see with Millet in Argentina,

18:30but a very close-minded partner to Donald Trump.

18:34It's this right that is very conservative in terms of values,

18:37in terms of social and cultural values,

18:39but at the same time very liberal in terms of the economic policy.

18:43So trying to cut down on government funding, on government spending,

18:45on a population that, of course, heavily depends on the social benefits that the state provides,

18:51this can have significant impacts in the social elevator

18:55and the way that people can come out of poverty.

18:57So that's why, of course, this election has been very closely watched here

19:00in the de facto EU capital here in Brussels.

19:02Raoul Bukarke, thank you so much for your analysis.

19:05And that brings Monday's edition of Europe Today to an end.

19:08Thank you so much for your company, as always.

19:10Any comments, do reach out to us at europetoday at euronews.com.

19:14That is our email address for now.

19:16Take care and stay with us here on Euronews.

Europe Today: Russia hits Kyiv as Merz visits; Bolsonaro wins Brazil's first round election

Category

Transcript

Recommended