00:00Grazie a tutti.
00:35Grazie a tutti.
01:06Grazie a tutti.
01:09Grazie a tutti.
01:39Grazie a tutti.
01:50Grazie a tutti.
01:53Grazie a tutti.
01:56Grazie a tutti.
01:57Grazie a tutti.
02:11Grazie a tutti.
02:47Grazie a tutti.
02:50Grazie a tutti.
03:03Grazie a tutti.
03:09Grazie a tutti.
03:15Putin said...
04:16Grazie a tutti.
04:28Grazie a tutti.
04:44Grazie a tutti.
04:54Grazie a tutti.
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06:24seems that Putin tries to influence the EU and tries to put pressure on in order to decide who
06:31is sitting at the table and when. And Laura, what have the reactions been to this in Germany? Are
06:36people taking this seriously? Well, the short answer is not really. The German government
06:44immediately rejected the proposal stating that the offer is a sham. And furthermore, they added
06:50that it is part of the hybrid strategy of Russia trying to further divide the European Union.
06:55And there is already some division taking place here in Germany. The SPD, the party of Gerhard Schröder,
07:01stated that one should at least be open to the idea of him being a mediator. That is what the
07:07Speaker of Foreign Relations of the SPD stated. But in the past, the former party co-president of the
07:15SPD stated that Schröder is not really a statesman anymore and that he is more of a businessman
07:21pursuing his business interests. But what is even more important is whether Ukraine would even accept
07:27Schröder as a potential mediator, which is, of course, unlikely, since Ukraine will likely not
07:32see Schröder as a neutral who serves both sides. So to summarise, Berlin sees this more as a political
07:39act and less as a genuine peace initiative. Laura Fleischmann, thank you so much for that live
07:44update there from the German capital. This is a topic, of course, that will be making an appearance
07:50at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting taking place today. For the view now from the Swedish
07:55government, I'm joined now on set by Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maria Malmer-Steinergaard.
08:00Great to have you back with us here on Europe Today. Good morning. Thank you. Good morning.
08:03So you're hearing these reports this morning of Gerhard Schröder potentially mediating between
08:07Ukraine and Russia. Would you trust him? Well, I want to begin in another end. I think
08:14the main problem is that Russia is not really interested in peace. They are trying different
08:19manoeuvres, but we need to keep our focus where it needs to be. And that is on increasing the pressure
08:26on Russia and increasing the support for Ukraine. So there's a lot more to be done. And these are
08:32things that will be discussed today. But yet Antonio Costa has been saying recently that it is perhaps
08:37time to talk to Russia. We're hearing names floated like Emmanuel Macron or Georgia Maloney or Pedro
08:42Sanchez. Which person would you like to see? I'm not there yet. I think that sooner or later,
08:49we will have to talk to Moscow. But since Putin is not really interested in any serious peace talks,
08:57then I think we should, like I said, focus on changing the calculus to make him interested in
09:03that. And then we will have a discussion about how the forms. How do you change the calculus? That's
09:09the question. Yes. So we need to increase the pressure on Russia. There is a lot more to be done
09:15on
09:15sanctions. I need to see the full service maritime ban. And that is something that should be in a 21st
09:22sanctions package. And then we need to increase the support for Ukraine. I'm very pleased that we
09:28agreed upon the 90 billion euro loan. But this cannot be an excuse to do less bilaterally. So
09:36we need to continue to support Ukraine bilaterally, and then add those 90 billions. Then that will make
09:43Ukraine a lot stronger. And we see how Russia is getting weaker and weaker, having problems recruiting
09:50new soldiers. And look at the big victory day. That was a very small victory day with no display
09:58of military hardware, because the Kremlin was afraid of Ukrainian drones.
10:05And just bring us inside the council meeting today. How has the mood changed with the new government
10:08in Hungary and a new Hungarian foreign minister, Anita Orban? She won't be there today physically,
10:14because she's having her hearing. But of course, will things change now when it comes to Ukraine?
10:19Well, I think there are a lot of more smiles in the room nowadays, and better possibilities for
10:28Europe to be stronger and to act more swiftly, which is absolutely necessary, not only to help Ukraine,
10:34but also to make sure that the EU becomes a stronger geopolitical player, geopolitical player.
10:42And yes, I'm very hopeful that with the new Hungarian government, we will be able to make those decisions that
10:50are
10:50absolutely needed for for Ukraine. But we'll see what happens in Bulgaria.
10:55And on your plates, of course, today, the diplomatic deadlock between the US and Iran.
11:00It feels sometimes like the EU is just staring at the Strait of Hormuz with absolutely no say in the
11:05matter,
11:05and just hoping the problem will go away. Well, we are preparing for the next phase.
11:13So once we have a lasting ceasefire or a peace, then that is the time when when Europe should bring
11:20assets and make sure that we keep the the Strait open, because that is so important for international
11:25trade and also for for our growth. But we are not going to enter this this war during these circumstances.
11:34But we are preparing and that is very important because we want to contribute.
11:38You want to contribute. And of course, you're opening a spy agency, I believe,
11:41in Sweden as a reaction to the full scale war in Ukraine. Tell us about that. And do you have
11:45the voters on board given this year you have big elections as well in Sweden?
11:48We have big elections. There is going to be a vote this summer on the new agency. I am convinced
11:55that
11:55this is something that should have been done a long time ago. We are now members of NATO.
12:00We align ourselves much more with the services of of other countries. We need to to develop technology
12:07a lot more, become better at looking into open source intelligence. And all of that is on the plate
12:13of the new agency. And on those elections taking place, Israel, Sweden relations will also play a big
12:20role. We know that Sweden did recognize the state of Palestine, but this decision could be reversed.
12:24Which camp are you in here?
12:26No, I think that we should not reverse that. I mean, we made our decision and people should be
12:31able to trust our decisions when it comes to foreign policy. So I don't see that there will
12:36be a change in that regard. However, I see the necessity to put more pressure on Israel because
12:42we're so worried about the development in Gaza. Not a lot of focus there right now because there is
12:47so much going on in the rest of the world. But the situation is still horrible for people living there.
12:53And the situation on the West Bank is deteriorating. So we need to put more pressure on it.
12:58And today you could sign off on sanctions on violent settlers in Israel.
13:02I hope we will be able to do that. But we should also move forward with sanctions on extremist
13:08ministers in the Israeli government.
13:10Okay, Minister. A lot, of course, on your plates today at that foreign ministers meeting, as always.
13:15Thank you so much for coming in to us. But now, moving on. Brussels is still digesting the outcome
13:21of the local elections in the UK last week that saw the former Brexiteer Nigel Farage rise through
13:26the ranks 10 years on since the Brexit referendum. The question now is what this result will mean for
13:31EU-UK ties and, of course, the political future of Labour's Keir Starmer. Our Jakub Janus takes a look.
13:39To the victor go the spoils. Nigel Farage's pro-Brexit reform UK party became the biggest winner of
13:45last week's English local elections, gaining over 1400 council seats. We have absolutely stormed it.
13:53These are historic results. And as they were mostly gained from Labour,
13:58all attention turned to its leader. And I take responsibility. When voters
14:03send a message like this, we must reflect and we must respond. But is his time in number 10 already
14:12on the clock?
14:15Despite a massive Westminster majority, last Thursday's local election battering has left
14:20Starmer on notice. And ironically, this majority makes him easier to criticize. His own party members
14:27feel safe breaking ranks because the government is not at immediate risk of falling. And ousting a Labour
14:34leader is much harder than a Tory. According to the Labour Party rulebook, rivals need 81 MPs to go public,
14:41just to trigger a vote. And while the trade unions and party members stay quiet,
14:47Starmer holds a structural shield that makes him safer than the headlines suggest. And with Britain's
14:53economy hurt post-Brexit, Starmer is pursuing a high-stakes pivot. At a recent summit in Armenia,
15:00he opened talks to join the EU 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine. And it seems to be a cash
15:05-for-play strategy.
15:06The UK helps to pay the interest in exchange for British defence firms accessing EU contracts.
15:13Ultimately, Starmer's future depends on how the next election is framed. If the conversation stays
15:19on the economy and closer ties to the EU, he's more likely to stay in power because public sentiment
15:25on Brexit has soured. But if the framing shifts to migration, Nigel Farage and Reform UK hold the
15:32advantage. And for now, the English public is left to see whether his grand vision for the country
15:37can survive a stark reality of local politics.
15:45Jakob Janos there on a story that's been closely watched here from Brussels. But now,
15:50just over one month or under one month after historic elections, Hungary's new Prime Minister,
15:55Peter Major was sworn in on Saturday in Budapest, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán's 16 years in power.
16:02Tens of thousands of Hungarians gathered outside the iconic parliament building in Budapest to
16:07celebrate the moment. For more now on what challenges face the new Prime Minister, I'm joined by our
16:12Hungarian correspondent, Sándor Zíros. So we're looking at those pictures there that quite frankly
16:16resemble a festival or a big huge party, but huge expectations now on Peter Major. Their voters are
16:22euphoric, but the question, will he be able to deliver? Tell us more about this moment.
16:26Well, good morning. As you said, Peter Major made sure that everyone in Hungary during the weekend
16:32talks about his inauguration. They made a huge show, a huge festival out of these events. There was a
16:40children's corps playing in the chamber, some deputies were crying, the minister was dancing, Peter Major
16:46made even the DJ. And then overnight there was a huge festival, a huge fiesta celebrating the end of
16:54the Orbán's government and the start of the new government. Now for the substance, Peter Major said
17:00that this is not a simple change of government, but a change of system. And he's opening a new era
17:06in the Hungarian history. He criticized Orbán for his corruption and he warned for investigations against him.
17:16He also called for resignation of the Hungarian president, Tamás Súlyok, whom he called a puppet of Orbán.
17:23And he called for a new style of governance in Hungary. Let's take a listen of what he said.
17:35A country can be lifted up by a few courageous and honest decisions, but it can also be destroyed by
17:41selfishness and arrogance. That is precisely what I would like to state clearly here in the House of
17:46Hungarian Democracy and Constitutionalism, that I will not rule over Hungary. I will serve my country.
17:52A very enthusiastic Peter Major there, the new prime minister of Hungary. But Sander, what about
18:00Viktor Orbán? What is his legacy? He seems to have just disappeared from the political sphere.
18:04Exactly. He seems a little bit disappearing. And I feel like he's not taking this electoral defeat very
18:11lightly. So, for example, on Saturday, he was supposed to be in the parliament, having his farewell speech
18:17and handing over the power in person to Peter Major, but he didn't show up. He's also not taking his
18:24parliamentary mandate, which is highly unusual and not traditional in many aspects. But Orbán
18:31wants to continue his fight. He wants to stay as a head of the Fidesz party. He wants to reorganize
18:39Fidesz party, but there are cracks already on his legacy. And what we call the Orbán system is already
18:46cracking. There are many investigations running already against his associates, for example, for
18:53corruption or misuse of power. Many of his associates are trying to change sides and trying to get
19:01connected to the new government. And what is really remarkable, Orbán's media machine is largely
19:08silenced. All of these pro-Orbanist voices in the Hungarian media are disappearing.
19:14Okay. Sander Zeros, thank you so much for those insights. And we can read, of course,
19:18longer reads from Jander Zeros on the challenges now facing Peter Major. But that does bring this
19:24Monday's edition of Europe Today to an end. Thank you so much for tuning in. Do reach out to us,
19:30drop us a line, tell us what you thought, or if you have any questions or comments,
19:34europetoday at euronews.com. That is our email address. Take care.
19:39Thanks again for watching and see you very soon here on Euronews.
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