Hello readers. Angela Skujins writing this newsletter from a sizzling Brussels, where, as one Belgian climate policy expert pointed out, is a city that now comes equipped with a roasting roundabout that can satisfy your culinary needs. Mared Jones will be picking up a hopefully cooler pen for you on Friday.

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Much to offer in this newsletter today, from energy to Hungary to Europe’s envoy.

Cooking with gas. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says the war in the Middle East has sparked the largest energy security crisis the world has ever faced. This comes as the European Union weighs measures to tackle yet another shock following soaring gas prices from Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but this time pushing prices higher.

Our chief Europe editor Maria Tadeo sat down with the agency’s executive director Fatih Birol in an exclusive interview from Paris, where they discussed the outlook for Europe and the risks ahead. On the future, Birol warned: “The world is becoming more and more a dangerous place.”

“Our motto is very clear – no fear, no favour. We look at the data, we give a wake-up call to the countries.”

The IEA says in a report released today that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – pushing up prices of gas and oil – is also prompting countries to diversify their energy mix. This spans both fossil fuels to renewables, both within Europe and beyond. This review will have “major implications” for investment, Birol said.

“I very much hope that very soon we get a full and unconditional opening of the Strait of Hormuz. If it doesn’t happen, the problem with the jet fuel and diesel and beyond will be with us for weeks to come,” he said. You can watch the full interview tonight on Euronews.

The Budapest blunder. Much of the Brussels press corps was left dazed and confused yesterday as rumours circulated that the Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar would meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today.

After a torrent of questions, and various senior EU spokespeople saying the meeting was not on the cards, Magyar put the rumours to bed by clarifying he would meet von der Leyen on Friday. “Everyone is working” on bringing back the EU funds, a triumphant Facebook post by the prime minister announced late yesterday afternoon.

The bilateral is expected to focus on finalising the release of €10 billion in recovery funds. A central campaign pledge of Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party, which won a landslide election in May, was recovering EU cash frozen over rule of law and anti-corruption concerns under former prime minister Viktor Orbán. The money will be forfeited if the new government fails to secure the funds by the August deadline.

Euronews’ Sándor Zsíros asked the European Commission about the visit and correspondence between von der Leyen and Magyar on Tuesday.

Chief spokesperson Paula Pinhosaid she could not provide an update, while her colleague Maciej Berestecki clarified there had been good progress on talks to release the frozen cash but “some questions need to be clarified”. The overall aim, though, is to develop a plan to release the funds by the beginning of June at the latest, he added. Sándor gets into the weeds of what Magyar’s meeting with von der Leyen really means.

Despite the on-again-off-again catch-up, Magyar will meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the military alliance’s HQ in Zaventem today and give a press conference at 2:30pm. The thrust of the meeting, as well as topics discussed, is still under wraps, as NATO’s press service responded to Euronews’ question for comments by sending us to the event’s landing page.

But we do have some answers. European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law Michael McGrath just told Europe Today that there has been a “good start” resetting relations between Budapest and Brussels, while hinting there’s more work to be done. “We are there as a Commission to work with them on restoring rule of law and respecting fundamental rights of its citizens,” he said.

When pressed about the confusion regarding choreography, McGrath clarified, “These meetings are quite often not nailed down”. Watch.

Finding Europe’s Russia whisperer. Meanwhile, in Lemesos, Cyprus, foreign ministers have gathered for an informal meeting. High Representative Kaja Kallas will strive to bring ministers closer towards a common position on whether, how and when to engage diplomatically with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

The idea of direct talks with Russia has been added and removed from the agenda since at least January. Momentum soared earlier this month after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Europeans to speak with “one common voice” and designate a special envoy. His plea sent the buzz into overdrive, with various names, such as Alexander Stubb, Mario Draghi and Angela Merkel, casually floated for the high-stakes job.

However, Russia’s large-scale strikes against Ukraine over the weekend and its subsequent message urging foreign citizens and diplomats to leave Kyiv “as soon as possible”, widely interpreted as a direct threat, have drastically upended the conversation.

Those who were reluctant to engage with Russia before, such as Germany, the Netherlands, the Baltics and the Nordics, have less incentive to do it now. Even France, one of the most vocal proponents of direct talks, has admitted the time isn’t right for the diplomatic outreach.

As Jorge Liboreiro and Luca Bertuzzi explain, Thursday’s debate is meant to lay the groundwork for the moment when Russia decides to take the peace process seriously. That, of course, remains a distant prospect, as Moscow’s escalatory rhetoric shows little sign of softening.

On her way into the meeting, Kallas highlighted the dangers of choosing a European envoy. “It’s a trap,” she told a throng of reporters, stating Russia was cherry-picking internally and publicly whom it wanted to benefit its interests. “The substance is much more important than the who.”

Nordic coalition urges EU to stand firm against new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic

A Nordic coalition of financial institutions, trade unions and climate scientists issued a stark warning to the European Commission on Wednesday, calling on European Union leaders to maintain its existing ban on new Arctic oil and gas drilling as the bloc is revising its policy in the region.

In an open letter to five European Commissioners, the group urges Brussels not to soften its stance, fearing the bloc may be reassessing its opposition to Arctic drilling, citing previous media allegations “with concern”.

As Marta Pacheco reports, since 2021, the EU has supported a global ban on new oil and gas drilling as part of its Arctic policy for environmental reasons. But the EU is currently revising its regional strategy in the Arctic, prompting critics of new fossil fuel drilling ventures to speak out.

The letter’s premise lies in both environmental concerns and potential security threats to Europe, given its proximity to Russian territory, where Moscow often boasts nuclear drills.

It argues that the changing geopolitical situation has heightened the security risks in the Barents Sea, with oil and gas infrastructure being potential targets for hybrid warfare due to the proximity to Russian territory and the Northern Sea Route.

“If oil and gas flowing from the Norwegian part of the Arctic becomes crucial for Europe’s energy security, it would make the infrastructure even more attractive as targets for sabotage and make the EU vulnerable to such attacks,” reads the letter backed by 127 signatories, mostly hailing from the Northern hemisphere.

Europe is the ‘last evangelist’ of a trade order that’s no longer respected – France’s Haddad

Europe should use “all the tools” it can leverage to “defend its interests” and tackle aggressive foreign trade practices that threaten its industry, France’s EU Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad has told Euronews. His comments come as the EU mulls a clampdown on a glut of Chinese imports.

“A commitment to international trade law – it’s important. But you have to be strong and to be respected,” Haddad said on Euronews’ interview programme, 12 Minutes With. ​

“You have to be able to defend your interest and use all the tools that you can leverage, especially to impose the very basic principles of fairness and reciprocity.”

Asked by Mared Jones if Europe had been too slow in its response to the eroding of international trade rules, Haddad said, “Yes, I think so, because I think that we (Europeans) are still sometimes the last evangelists of a religion that no one is practising anymore.

“You know, the religion of unfettered free trade of the WTO (World Trade Organisation), which clearly China and the US have abandoned a long time ago.” Watch.

More from our newsrooms

Zelenskyy sent letter asking Trump for Patriot air defence munitions, adviser confirms

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United States to provide more ammunition for its Patriot air defence systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles, according to a document reviewed by the AFP news agency on Wednesday. Gavin Blackburn has more.

EU Commission chief eyes new AI envoy, but the role is still to be fully defined

The European Commission might soon appoint an AI envoy – but what the job would actually entail remains undefined. The idea was floated last week by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting with Europe’s top corporate executives gathered at the European Round Table for Industry. “It seems to be an idea that comes back now and again,” a diplomatic source told Euronews, noting it was not the first time the post had been suggested. Luca Bertuzzi has the latest.

South Africa and Afrikaners reject US claims of humanitarian crisis for white people

The South African government and advocacy groups for the country’s Afrikaner white minority rejected on Wednesday the Trump administration’s position that there’s a humanitarian emergency affecting white people in South Africa. Additional reporting by Gavin Blackburn.

We’re also keeping an eye on

• European Parliament President Roberta Metsola continues her visit to San Francisco.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rumen Radev.
• European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall meets with the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

That’s it for today. Jorge Liboreiro and Marta Pacheco contributed to this newsletter.

UNITED NATIONS — The Czech Republic is prepared to help protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and is aligning closely with the Trump administration on security, NATO and Israel, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview at the United Nations in New York.

Prague already had begun discussions about contributing specialized capabilities to help secure the strategically vital waterway amid growing tensions with Iran, Macinka said while speaking at Security Council-related meetings at the U.N. 

“We are ready to contribute to freedom of passage and the Hormuz trade,” Macinka said. 

“We were among the first countries that were ready to contribute … We have no navy, as we are in the middle of Europe,” he explained, “But we have some unique passive surveillance capabilities.”

TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Macinka warned that Iran posed a global threat through what he described as four main “war tools”: nuclear proliferation, drones and ballistic missiles, international terrorism and threats to the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Their nuclear military program must be stopped,” he said. “It’s a global risk and global threat.”

The comments come as the Trump administration has increased pressure on European allies to take a larger role in protecting international shipping routes amid Iranian threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit choke points. Roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passes through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.

Speaking after a meeting with foreign ministers in Sweden Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio questioned the value of hosting U.S. military bases in allied countries that later restrict American military operations during wartime.

“One of the arguments I always made was that these bases in the region provided us with logistical options that we wouldn’t otherwise have,” Rubio told reporters. “And when some of those bases are denied to you during a conflict that we’re involved in, then you question whether that value is still there.”

President Donald Trump also has sharply criticized NATO allies over a reluctance to participate in military operations tied to the Iran conflict and securing the Strait of Hormuz. 

Trump said he was “strongly considering” pulling the United States out of NATO after allies failed to join the U.S. campaign against Iran, according to an April 1 interview with Britain’s Daily Telegraph, calling the alliance a “paper tiger.”

The Czech Republic, a NATO member since 1999, reached NATO’s benchmark of spending 2% of GDP on defense and has supported calls for Europe to increase military readiness amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Macinka strongly defended the administration’s calls for Europe to increase defense spending and reduce dependence on Washington for long-term security guarantees. 

“We should do our homework and build our defense to become stronger,” he said, arguing that Europe had delayed necessary military investments for too long.

He also tied Europe’s defense spending challenges to the European Union’s Green Deal policies, the bloc’s sweeping climate agenda aimed at reducing carbon emissions, calling them ideological and financially destructive. 

“If we get rid of this green, crazy alarmism, then we have enough money to build our defense,” he said.

The Czech foreign minister also voiced unusually direct support for Trump and his administration, praising what he described as a global “common sense” shift following Trump’s election victory.

“We are friends of Israel, and we are friends of America,” Macinka said. “Especially me as a politician, I’m a friend of the ideology of the current American administration.”

Macinka also referenced a clash earlier in 2026 with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Munich Security Conference, where he criticized Europe’s liberal political establishment and defended the populist wave reshaping parts of Europe and the United States.

EUROPE MUST LEAD ON UKRAINIAN SECURITY GUARANTEES, GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS: ‘WE ARE THE NEIGHBORS’

Macinka linked Prague’s strong support for Ukraine to the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, when hundreds of thousands of Warsaw Pact troops occupied the country for more than two decades.

He said that historical experience continues to shape Czech public opinion and support for Kyiv.

“The Czech society feels a big solidarity with Ukraine,” Macinka said, describing the war as a “symmetric war” between a powerful Russian military and a Ukrainian army backed by the West.

Macinka highlighted Prague’s leading role in a Czech-backed ammunition initiative supplying Ukraine with artillery rounds collected through international donor efforts. 

Recalling a visit to Kyiv earlier in 2026, he said he received intelligence briefings on battlefield ammunition consumption from Ukrainian military officials.

TRUMP, ZELENSKYY TO MEET FOR KEY DEAL AS NATO ALLIES, RUSSIA WAIT, WATCH

The Czech initiative delivered more than half a million rounds of ammunition in 2026 alone, according to Macinka, helping stabilize the battlefield ahead of possible peace negotiations.

Macinka argued that maintaining a stable front is essential for meaningful negotiations, warning that shifting battle lines will only harden demands on both sides.

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With Washington increasingly focused on the Middle East, Macinka also said Europe must begin taking a larger diplomatic role in future negotiations over Ukraine.

“America is quite busy with the Middle East,” he said. “Europe should wake up and ask for a place at the table.”