Daily brief
At the EU summit in Brussels, Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged patience in talks with Russia and pushed for budget cuts, while French President Macron argued the EU cannot mediate a settlement in Ukraine. EU leaders also discussed the bloc's next seven-year budget, with deep divisions emerging over spending levels. The summit saw a clash over Ukraine's fast-track membership, with Hungarian MEP Péter Magyar forcing the EU to drop the clause after heated negotiations.
Costa praised Cyprus’ 'tireless effort' during its EU Council presidency term.
Turkish Cyprus blasted an EU report as detached from island reality.
Denmark and 18 EU countries pushed for migrant centers outside Europe.
The EU summit outlined no timeframes regarding Moldova accession talks.