Morning opening: New Russia sanctions on hold
Jakub Krupa
The European Union is increasingly unlikely to reach an agreement on the new, 20th package of sanctions against Russia ahead of tomorrow’s fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Hungary continues to block the package.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas admitted this morning that “there is not going to be progress” on this issue today, as Budapest continues to block the adoption of the sanctions.
“We are doing our utmost to have the sanctions package … through … and we are looking for ways how we can do it. But as we have heard some very strong statements from Hungary, … I don’t really … see they are going to change this unfortunately today,” she said.
Hungary opposes the proposed measures – as well as the payment of the €90bn loan for Ukraine – as part of its escalating dispute with Ukraine about oil transit using the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said on Sunday that “until Ukraine resumes oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow decisions important to Kyiv to move forward.”
It also comes just six weeks before the key parliamentary election in the country, which could see its pro-Russian prime minister Viktor Orbán ousted after 16 years in power.
The embattled leader – currently trailing 10 points behind the opposition leader, Tisza’s Péter Magyar – increasingly turns to anti-Ukrainian rhetoric to falsely allege a conspiracy between Kyiv and Brussels to remove him from office and talk about the risk of war expanding to Hungary.
The failure to agree on the new package of sanctions would be politically embarrasing for the bloc as its leaders, including the commission president Ursula von der Leyen, plan to travel to Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the anniversary.
I will bring you all the key lines from Brussels here, as well as other stories from across Europe, as we expect Rob Jetten to be sworn in as the new Dutch prime minister, Finland’s Alexander Stubb to meet France’s Emmanuel Macron in Paris, and hear from the European Parliament on the future of the EU-US trade deal.
It’s Monday, 23 February 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
‘Cannot be otherwise,’ Macron says as he hopes to see EU loan for Ukraine, Russian sanctions agreed
Macron is speaking now.
He says that their talks will focus on the question of supporting Ukraine as the country enters the fifth year of full-scale war defending itself from the Russian aggression.
He says he is determined to see the EU make progress on the €90bn loan for Ukraine and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia and see the political decisions made at the last European Council meeting implemented.
“It cannot be otherwise,” he says.
He also touches upon the issue of Arctic security, including a call for the EU to do more in this area, and the broader push to invest more in Europe’s defence and to reform the EU’s competitiveness.
Finland’s Stubb expected at Élysée for talks with Macron soon
Finland’s president Alexander Stubb is expected at the Élysée Palace any moment now for his talks with France’s Emmanuel Macron.
The pair – prominently involved in helping Ukraine navigate a tricky relationship with the new US administration under Donald Trump – meets just a day before the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion on the country.
I will bring you their press statements before the talks here.
Confusion reigns on US tariffs after last week’s supreme court ruling
Lisa O’Carroll
in London
Confusion continues as to whether Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs kick in tomorrow in the UK or the EU, despite the US trade representative Jamieson Greer assurances that nothing changes for the 20 odd countries the US has already agree tariff deals.
The new president of the British Chambers of Commerce, Andy Haldane, told the BBC he believed that the 15% tariffs did apply from tomorrow unless the government hears otherwise.
“We are 10% [tariff rate with the US]. If he [Trump] follows through tomorrow, that will be 15% and that will mean UK sits towards the bottom the league table in terms of who’s been made worst off by the measures of the weekend,” he told the BBC Today programme.
And the German confederation of businesses, BDI, called on the EU to “quickly approach the US and provide clarity on tariffs and trade rules”.
BDI president Peter Leibinger said:
“These decisions create significant new uncertainty for transatlantic trade. Businesses on both sides of the Atlantic urgently need planning certainty and reliable trading conditions. The EU, with the support of the German government, should quickly approach the United States and provide clarity on tariffs and trade rules. Only through dialogue can transparency be established and trust in transatlantic economic relations be secured.”
On Sunday Greer told CBS that the US will not back out of tariff deals it has already sealed with countries around the world, including the UK, the EU, Japan, Switzerland and others.
“We want them to understand these deals are going to be good deals,” Greer said. “We’re going to stand by them. We expect our partners to stand by them.”
In a strongly worded statement, the EU called on the US not to walk back the July deal.
“A deal is a deal,” it said.
“As the United States’ largest trading partner, the EU expects the US to honour its commitments.”
Jakub Krupa
One other thing we will be keeping an eye on today is the latest on the EU-US trade relationship after last Friday’s US supreme court ruling on Trump’s tariffs.
The European Parliament is expected to discuss what to do with the EU-US trade deal later today.
In the meantime, let’s cross to our international trade expert Lisa O’Carroll for an update.
Meanwhile, with all formalities wrapped up over in the Netherlands (10:48), here is the first formal photo of the Dutch government lineup, led by prime minister Jetten.
Ukraine ‘hates Hungary’ and pursues ‘very hostile’ policies, Hungarian foreign minister says as he lashes against Kyiv, Brussels
Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó is now speaking to reporters, offering the Budapest view on the entire situation.
He insists Hungary “doesn’t hate Ukraine,” but “the problem is that the Ukrainian state hates Hungary, and the Ukrainian state carries out an anti-Hungarian political approach for the last ten years.”
“Ukraine behaves in a very hostile manner towards Hungary. Please ask Ukrainians why they have stopped the oil deliveries to Hungary, why they put the security of energy supply of Hungary [at] risk, why they do not give back the rights to the Hungarian national community? … And, I’m very curious what their answer will be.”
He says “the Ukrainian state behaves in a very hostile way to Hungary in the recent period.”
He says “the European Commission behaves like the Ukrainian commission,” putting Ukraine’s interests ahead of Hungary’s.
He says Hungary’s decision to halt the sanctions and the loan is because “Ukraine has decided not to restart the oil deliveries to Hungary,” which “endangers our energy security,” which he calls at attempt to blackmail Budapest.
“This is it. And no one has the right to put our energy security at risk, because it’s a issue of it’s an issue of national sovereignty.”
He adds:
“So, the ball is in the court of Ukraine as the Ukrainians, when they’re going to restart the oil deliveries of Hungary. As long as it doesn’t happen, there will be no change in the Hungarian position.”
Reminder: many of these comments are intended for domestic consumption as the country enters final weeks of its already tense political campaign ahead of the key election on 12 April (9:52).
Rob Jetten becomes youngest-ever Dutch prime minister at helm of minority government
38-year-old Rob Jetten has been sworn in as the Netherland’s new prime minister, the youngest premier in history, leading a three-party minority administration.
The three coalition parties have only 66 seats in the 150-seat house, and will have to rely on opposition lawmakers to get enough support to pass virtually any legislation.
The new government will meet for the first time this afternoon.
Luxembourg’s foreign minister Xavier Bettel said that Hungarians were transactional in their way of working at the EU level, saying “we usually have to find the chequebook or … [some other] agreement with them.”
“It’s a bit like [being on] a market with them: they block, and if they get what they want, they agree.”
But he says it’s been problematic for years and is “not fair” for other member states, and hopes that a resolution could be found soon.
20th package of sanctions only matter of time, French minister insists
In turn, France’s Jean-Noël Barrot insisted it was a matter of when, not if, the 20th package of sanctions against Russia will be adopted, which he said would further deprive Russia’s Putin of capacity to pursue his “colonial fantasies” in Ukraine.
‘We cannot proceed like this,’ Lithuania’s Budrys expresses frustration with Hungary
Lithuania’s foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys said he was “very frustrated” with the Hungarian block.
“We have to move forward, and I’m really upset and frustrated that one of the countries is blocking it for the reasons that are internal or external, I don’t know, but they are not based in European needs,” he told reporters.
“I really expect that we can have the open and honest discussion, looking each other to the eyes and answering these questions: what we are doing here, what we are disrupting; is it only about Ukraine, or is it about us remaining 27 in the European Union?”
He added:
“We cannot proceed like this. We cannot give away those carrots each time and expect that, oh, there will be one country that will block so what we will [give] to them. It cannot work like this. European Union was designed in different way. …
We have one constant [source of] disruption, [and] I have the question whether we should review the decision making process. That’s one option. The other option is to also to invoke the article seven and just stop this exploitation of the principle of unanimity. It is really damaging and dangerous.”
Failure to adopt sanctions would make Russia ‘happy,’ Estonian foreign minister says
Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul also said he was “astonished” by the Hungarian position on sanctions, and hoped to discuss this during today’s meeting of EU foreign ministers.
But Estonia’s foreign minister Margus Tsahkna was more blunt saying that the failure to adopt the new sanctions would only benefit Russia.
“If we are not able to put the sanctions on Russia, then Russia will be happy,” he said.
Hungarian government seeks to create, exploit anti-Ukrainian hostility in election campaign, Poland’s Sikorski says
Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski has sharply criticised Hungary for blocking the 20th package of sanctions, saying it was “shocking” that with their history of fighting against Soviet aggression in the 20th century, the leaders in Budapest choose to attack Ukraine for domestic gains.
“I would have expected a much greater feeling of solidarity from Hungary for Ukraine. Instead, with the help of state propaganda and private but controlled by the government media, the ruling party managed to create a climate of hostility towards the victim of aggression, and … now is trying to exploit that in the general election,” he said.
Morning opening: New Russia sanctions on hold
Jakub Krupa
The European Union is increasingly unlikely to reach an agreement on the new, 20th package of sanctions against Russia ahead of tomorrow’s fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Hungary continues to block the package.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas admitted this morning that “there is not going to be progress” on this issue today, as Budapest continues to block the adoption of the sanctions.
“We are doing our utmost to have the sanctions package … through … and we are looking for ways how we can do it. But as we have heard some very strong statements from Hungary, … I don’t really … see they are going to change this unfortunately today,” she said.
Hungary opposes the proposed measures – as well as the payment of the €90bn loan for Ukraine – as part of its escalating dispute with Ukraine about oil transit using the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said on Sunday that “until Ukraine resumes oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow decisions important to Kyiv to move forward.”
It also comes just six weeks before the key parliamentary election in the country, which could see its pro-Russian prime minister Viktor Orbán ousted after 16 years in power.
The embattled leader – currently trailing 10 points behind the opposition leader, Tisza’s Péter Magyar – increasingly turns to anti-Ukrainian rhetoric to falsely allege a conspiracy between Kyiv and Brussels to remove him from office and talk about the risk of war expanding to Hungary.
The failure to agree on the new package of sanctions would be politically embarrasing for the bloc as its leaders, including the commission president Ursula von der Leyen, plan to travel to Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the anniversary.
I will bring you all the key lines from Brussels here, as well as other stories from across Europe, as we expect Rob Jetten to be sworn in as the new Dutch prime minister, Finland’s Alexander Stubb to meet France’s Emmanuel Macron in Paris, and hear from the European Parliament on the future of the EU-US trade deal.
It’s Monday, 23 February 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
