EU summit: Leaders agree on foreign policy, budget dispute continues
EU leaders reached a consensus on foreign policy, imposing the 21st sanctions package on Russia, but the next EU budget approval is postponed to the second half of the year.
As the two-day EU summit in Brussels concludes on Friday, member state leaders managed to agree on foreign policy issues, but will have to return to the next EU budget problem in the second half of the year. Thursday was dedicated to foreign policy discussions. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the summit, was congratulated on the opening of the first cluster of Ukraine's EU accession talks. In response to his call for increased pressure on Russia, leaders adopted the 21st sanctions package. For the first time, sanctions were imposed for a full year instead of six months. This indirectly indicates that Europeans do not expect a quick end to the war or the start of negotiations with Moscow, despite a recent attempt by European Council President António Costa to create a channel for communication with the Russian leadership.
"If Russia does not want to engage in diplomacy, then diplomatic channels for communication with it are irrelevant. First, there must be clear signs that Russia is ready for that. Today there are no such signs. There is no point in diplomatic channels if there are no grounds for negotiations," said Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.
Sanctions are easier to impose than to lift. Summit participants expressed cautious optimism regarding the US-Iran deal, which in the future could involve lifting sanctions on Tehran. "We have clear criteria. Various sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program are in place. Of course, if conditions allow and a nuclear agreement is reached, then I think member states will discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions. However, we are not ready for that yet," said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Budget discussion
On Friday, summit participants discussed one of the most pressing issues: the EU budget project for 2028-2034, which, according to the European Commission's proposal, would amount to 2 trillion euros. Part of these funds would be secured through borrowing, which has already provoked a strong reaction from major donor countries.
"I think I made it clear: there cannot be new European debt. The budget must be balanced, so we will have to make significant efforts in the second half of the year to adopt the budget from 2028 onwards. But this task lies ahead of us in the second half of the year, not the first," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
