Europe Today: EU ministers meet on Ukraine aid as Trump rejects Iran's Hormuz deal

Name: Europe Today: EU ministers meet on Ukraine aid as Trump rejects Iran's Hormuz deal
Uploaded: 2026-09-28T11:13:05+00:00
Duration: 20 min 10 s
Channel: euronews (in English)

00:14Good morning, it's Monday, September 28th, you're watching Euronews and this is Europe

00:21Today.

00:22Coming up, EU defense ministers will come together in Brussels today to discuss military

00:27aid for Ukraine and measures against Russia's shadow fleet, which is used to evade oil sections.

00:34Ukraine's counterpart will join the exchange by videoconference.

00:37The meeting comes as Russia has increased ballistic missile strikes and attacks by jet-powered

00:43drones.

00:44We'll go live to the council building.

00:46The perspectives for a negotiated peace in the U.S.-Iran war remain murky.

00:51Donald Trump has publicly rejected the Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and

00:57end fighting, claiming the U.S. was winning tremendously.

01:02However, Iranian officials have responded by insisting diplomacy is the only solution.

01:08Amid reports, Trump is planning on resuming hostilities after the midterm elections in

01:13November.

01:13And, Pope Leo has called on French bishops to root out the scourge of sexual abuse in

01:20the Roman Catholic Church, telling them to maintain the greatest vigilance ahead of a

01:25meeting with abuse survivors.

01:27The Pope delivered the message to bishops during a private meeting at the sanctuary of Our Holy

01:32Lady of Lourdes, a holy site in southern France, on the third day of his four-day official

01:38visit to that country.

01:39Today, the Pope travels to Metz.

01:42Welcome to the program.

01:44I'm Stefan Grobe.

01:46As aerial threats continue to breach Europe's skies and Russia continues its full-scale

01:52invasion of Ukraine, Europe is scrambling for solutions.

01:56Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers are meeting in the Belgian capital today to talk about options.

02:01To learn more, we are joined live now by our Defense correspondent Angela Skugins from

02:07the council building, where those ministers are trickling in.

02:10Good morning, Angela.

02:11Good to see you.

02:13So, what's at stake today?

02:16Good morning, Stefan.

02:18So, yes, quite a bit, not just for Europe, but also its ally in the East Ukraine.

02:23In the run-up to these defense talks, an EU insider told journalists such as myself, as well as

02:29others on condition of anonymity, that the latest worrying development on the battlefield

02:33is the scale in which Russia is using jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles.

02:39What makes these drones so lethal, in particular, is their speed.

02:43They can travel at 500 kilometers per hour, making them almost impossible to intercept, and

02:49Russia is producing them at an eye-watering pace.

02:52Now, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, of course, continues to bleed across Europe's

02:57borders.

02:57We saw this on Friday with a Russian aircraft breaching the skies over Finland.

03:03And we all saw El Mundo, the Spanish daily newspaper, reporting, citing CIA intelligence

03:09that Russia could be ready to launch some kind of aggression against Europe's southern

03:13nations, such as Spain and France, sometime very soon.

03:18So, clearly, a lot at stake for Europe and Ukraine, Stefan.

03:22And what are the solutions on the table, I mean, for Ukraine and for Europe?

03:29Yeah, so we're expecting to get an update from Ukraine's defence minister, Evgeny Hamra.

03:34He will be joining via video link where he will lay bare what that country needs.

03:39We very much expect this to predominantly be patriot interceptor missiles.

03:44Spain and Greece have been holding tight to theirs.

03:47Lobbying could occur in the corridors of power here today for them to hand over their arsenal.

03:53The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has also stated that there's a 23.5 billion

03:57euro funding shortfall.

03:59He needs that cash to pay for his soldiers so that they continue their fight, as well as

04:04the acquisition of weapons.

04:06We also expect ministers to put meat on the bone to European Commission President Ursula

04:11von der Leyen's pitch to develop an anti-hybrid warfare playbook.

04:15So those conversations should expect to occur today.

04:19And what is clear from the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as these hybrid threats in

04:24Europe, is that warfare is evolving and Europe needs to come to Ukraine's defences, Stefan.

04:29All right, Angela Skugins from the European Council in Brussels.

04:33Thank you very much for this update.

04:35Ukraine is facing an intensifying wave of Russian aerial attacks, combining large numbers

04:41of drones with new, faster jet-powered models, as well as missiles.

04:45In Kiev, repeated attacks and air raid alerts are stretching through the day and night, putting

04:52growing pressure on Ukraine's air defences and on millions of civilians trying to continue

04:57their daily lives under an almost constant threat from the sky.

05:02Our correspondent, Sasha Vakulina, is in Kiev.

05:04Sasha, you've been speaking both to residents living through these attacks and to the servicemen

05:10trying to defend the capital.

05:11What are they telling you about how the situation is now and how it has changed?

05:22In Kiev right now, drone attacks and air raid alerts are literally non-stop.

05:28On Sunday only, Russia hit two kindergartens, two schools, a residential building, car repair

05:33shop and communication facilities.

05:36And this pace, this relentless pace of the attacks is exhausting not only Ukraine's air

05:41defence, but also the people who live here.

05:44They still have to go to work, children still have to go to school and the families still

05:49have to carry on.

05:50And that means living the people with impossible calculation when to seek shelter or when to

05:56simply carry on.

05:58Some Kiev residents I talked to here said that when the most immediate danger comes, they

06:05practically have no time to seek shelter.

06:09I always turn up the volume on my phone so I can tell exactly what sort of alarm is going

06:14on.

06:14If I see its missiles, then we have two seconds to get out in the corridor.

06:18We can't make it down to the shelter.

06:20We don't have that time.

06:21Because within two seconds, we are out in the corridor or the bathroom.

06:24And the loud, powerful explosions have already started.

06:27So there is not even a chance or any sense that you will survive.

06:31You just hope that you will actually make it today alive.

06:53Some people can't go to work, some people can't even get their children to school.

06:57You are sitting at work, the air raid siren goes off and your child is still there.

07:01My child says to me, mom, it feels as if I've been living through war my whole life.

07:05That's what he says.

07:06He was born in Lugansk.

07:07And to this day, that's how he lives.

07:14There is very little expectation that this pressure will ease the air defense servicemen

07:20I talked to here in Kiev called the situation, quote, catastrophic.

07:24And they say it is going to get only worse in October and November.

07:30Russia is increasing the pace and the complexity of its missile and drone attacks, including

07:36these jet-powered drones, while Ukraine remains critically short of air defense to be able

07:41to stop these attacks.

07:44Sasha Vakulina, they are reporting from Kiev.

07:47Thank you very much.

07:48One of Ukraine's strongest backers among EU personalities was and is the former Lithuanian

07:54foreign minister, Gabrielius Lansbergis.

07:57Angela Skugins caught up with him to get his take on the current situation.

08:02Lithuania is part of NATO.

08:04So, you know, the reason why we are in the alliance is that we expect these sort of situations

08:11that we're currently seeing, so-called hybrid events and, you know, the potential escalation

08:16to be mitigated by the allies.

08:19There's only so much that we can do.

08:21And Lithuania is, you know, is doing our part by increasing the financing.

08:25And the debate is ongoing whether, you know, that Lithuania should return to universal conscription

08:31and kind of, you know, boosting our own ability to defend the country.

08:35But when it comes to, you know, when it comes to Russian escalation, we really, really need,

08:39you know, NATO's response.

08:41And let's just talk about the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Monday in the Belgian capital,

08:45we're expecting to get an update from Ukraine's minister for defence.

08:49We're expecting him to call on allies to step up when it comes to air defence support in particular.

08:55We also know that the EU Foreign High Representative, Kaya Kalas, she's really been pressing

09:01Greece and Spain to hand over their Patriot interceptor missiles.

09:06Why do you think that that lobbying hasn't been successful?

09:10Well, there are very deep and diverging points of view as to what is the main security issue

09:19for the, you know, northern part of Europe and southern part of Europe, with exceptions, clearly.

09:24But I mean, you know, for example, for, you know, we know how Greece operates and how they

09:30see their threats and what they are defending their islands from.

09:33It's not Russia.

09:34It's, you know, it's basically their neighbour.

09:37Spain has, you know, an entirely different mentality as well as to how they see their threats.

09:42And it's something, in some cases, very difficult for, you know, northern and eastern part of

09:47Europe to understand that, right?

09:49Well, we are facing what we think is an existential threat, right?

09:53We have drones flying over our heads, you know, and then, you know, and then people preparing

09:58for that, you know, who knows, invasion or, you know, increased, escalating hybrid, hybrid

10:04attacks.

10:05And, you know, and how do you convince them if this is not enough?

10:08We've also seen reporting coming out recently regarding a potential Russian threat regarding

10:14those Mediterranean countries.

10:16The source here is allegedly from Lithuania, someone close to the government.

10:21From my point of view, it is not too surprising.

10:24Russia has been known to use a shadow fleet against, to launch drones against, against

10:29Germany, against the United Kingdom.

10:33So, theoretically, why wouldn't they be able to do the same thing with southern European

10:38countries, right?

10:39We also know that Ukraine, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has stated publicly that

10:47there is a 20 billion euro shortfall currently.

10:50He's asking allies to step in and fill the gap.

10:53But we also know the European Commission has been exerting quite a bit of pressure on the

10:57RADA to implement reforms to access more cash.

11:01What do you make of this saga?

11:03Both points of view are right.

11:05So, on one hand, clearly, Ukrainian RADA has to do their homework.

11:09There is no way around it.

11:11They made the promise and they didn't deliver on it.

11:13But on the other hand, what President Zelenskyy is saying is also true.

11:17So, they have this military budget that has been constrained in a way because they are

11:23very actively operating in Russian airspace by attacking logistics centers, oil refiners

11:31and stuff like that.

11:31It's very expensive to perform these operations.

11:35And they might be lacking funds even by the end of this year.

11:39So, the question to European Union might fall to, you know, that might become a strategic

11:44question.

11:45We can argue that they need to do reforms and they will do that maybe slowly, slower than

11:50we would like to.

11:51But then the question is, so do we allow Ukraine to just stop defending themselves if they lack

11:59the money?

11:59And I believe that that will be the most important question of the next year, even.

12:07Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Lansbergis.

12:11In the U.S.-Iran war, military operations seem to have paused for now, but not the war of

12:18words.

12:18The U.S. military said it maintains control of all of its drone assets, calling Iran's

12:24claim that it captured an advanced U.S. underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, clearly desperate.

12:30Meanwhile, a top Iranian general warned Gulf neighbors that the Strait of Hormuz will remain

12:35closed until U.S. economic warfare ends.

12:39So, where does that leave the world with its quest for peace?

12:43Joining me now from Doha is our correspondent, Adel Halim, who has been following this conflict

12:48like nobody else.

12:49Good morning, Adel.

12:52Good morning, Stefan.

12:53So, there has been a lot of diplomatic activity around Iran over the past few days.

13:00Where do things stand now?

13:04Well, diplomacy isn't dead, but the two sides are still very far apart.

13:08U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and

13:12the market reacted immediately.

13:15Oil prices this morning jumped to $106 a barrel of rent crude, and Iran wanted the U.S.

13:22naval blockade lifted, sanctions removed, and frozen assets released.

13:26It also wanted to include Lebanon as part of the ceasefire deal.

13:29Trump says that's not a deal he's prepared to make.

13:31Iran says it won't back down from those conditions either, but importantly, neither side is walking

13:36away from talks altogether.

13:37Trump says he expects negotiations to continue this week, and Iran says it's still waiting

13:41for Washington's formal response through mediators, which include Qatar.

13:45So, the deal has been rejected, but the diplomatic track is still open.

13:49Stefan?

13:50So, again, does diplomacy still have a chance here, or are we heading back towards escalation?

13:59Well, both options are still possible right now.

14:02Iran's foreign minister says the country is prepared for war, but he also said Iran is

14:06ready for diplomacy.

14:07But the problem is the tensions are growing well beyond Iran.

14:12Saudi Arabia is now facing near-daily attacks from the Houthis.

14:15There's fierce fighting that we're seeing in Yemen, where the Houthis now control the

14:18country's strategic Red Sea coast.

14:20And we're seeing security concerns further afield as well.

14:23In Britain, five men were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act on RAF Fairford.

14:30That's a British base where U.S. bombers were taking off in the war against Iran.

14:37Authorities are investing a possible Iran connection, but so far nothing has been established.

14:41So, there is still a diplomatic track, but this conflict is already spreading well beyond

14:46the Hormuz.

14:47And the longer it continues, the bigger the risk for further escalation.

14:50Stefan?

14:51All right, Adel Halim from Doha for us.

14:54Thank you very much.

14:56And now let's go back to the EU Council building, where Angela Skudgens is still on standby for

15:01us.

15:02And she has a guest.

15:03Angela, over to you.

15:06Yes, good morning, Stefan.

15:07I'm back here in the European Council building with Poland's Deputy Minister for Defence, Paweł

15:13Zalewski.

15:14Now, Minister, thank you so much for joining us on the show.

15:17It's a pleasure.

15:18On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week, Poland's President Karol

15:24Nawrowski met with the CEO of Palantir.

15:26What do you make of this?

15:28Should Poland get into bed with such a controversial tech company?

15:32I'm not surprised with that.

15:33Palantir supplies NATO, NATO's countries with very important IT products.

15:40So I'm interested in the products, not in the ideology.

15:46What don't you like about the ideology?

15:49Sorry?

15:49What don't you like about the ideology?

15:51I'm not interested in the ideology because, you know, we have very concrete problems to

15:58solve.

15:59And Palantir supports first NATO, then our allies with the products.

16:08I wouldn't like to say that we have decided to choose concrete elements.

16:19But as I mentioned, when we are talking about technology firms, what we are interested in

16:25is what they can offer to us to defend our country, not in ideology, standing behind the leaders

16:34of this of this firms.

16:35Absolutely.

16:36And on to another tech topic with defense.

16:40Ukraine's former defense minister, Mikhail Fedorov, posted a video on X in which he showed

16:45the future of warfare in Ukraine, one in which is littered with robots.

16:49Is this a future that you see for Poland as well?

16:52Definitely.

16:53The future of the warfare is in autonomous systems and AI as a command support.

17:04So definitely this robot solutions are important.

17:11We are cooperating with Ukrainians.

17:13They have a lot of very interesting technologies, not only drone technologies.

17:21So I believe that they have a lot to offer to their partners.

17:27Absolutely.

17:27And I expect that this conversation to develop today.

17:30Thank you so much for joining us, Minister.

17:32Thank you very much.

17:34All right.

17:34Angela Skujins, our correspondent at the European Council Building.

17:37Thank you for covering today's minister's meeting for us.

17:40And now to the story about the American in Paris.

17:44Yet it wasn't only the French capital that gave Pope Leo a welcome fit for a rock star.

17:50From the Champs-Élysées to packed gatherings of the faithful along the way, extraordinary

17:55crowds turned out to see the American pontiff with French roots, cheering, chanting, and reaching

18:02out for a glimpse of him.

18:04For Pope Leo, this was a powerful display of the enthusiasm and expectations surrounding

18:09a new era for the Catholic Church.

18:12And in France, he found a country where faith, tradition, and secularism continue to collide,

18:18but where thousands were eager to listen to his message.

18:21One who heard the Pope was our correspondent Estelle Nielsen-Julien, who is on her way to

18:26Metz for Leo's final appearance in France.

18:29And before, she sent us this.

18:31Well, the Pope's visit to France has certainly been absolutely historic.

18:36And we witnessed many stunning scenes which will undoubtedly enter the archives of the country

18:42this weekend.

18:43In particular, the Pope's open-air mass, which was attended by 800,000 people, which he delivered

18:49on the Place de la Conquadre.

18:50We saw some striking images of him blessing babies and children, with one image in particular

18:56of him blessing a young, a disabled girl named Marie Yarrance emerging, as she was lifted

19:02up by the crowds to him.

19:05On the streets of Paris, I spoke to many faithfuls, some of whom were moved to tears as they told

19:10me what it meant to them to see the Pope on French soil.

19:14I also met with families, and parents told me that for them it was very important to live

19:19this moment with their children.

19:21Overall, there has been a sense of unity in France, which of course is a secular country,

19:26but has deep Catholic roots.

19:29On Sunday, the Pope was in the world-renowned Catholic pilgrimage site of Lourdes, where

19:34he delivered a Sunday mass attended by 200,000 people.

19:38And he also met with survivors of sexual abuse within the church.

19:42As for Monday, he is set to address European leaders and deliver a speech focused on the

19:49importance of European peace in the north-eastern French town of Metz.

19:56And that's it for today.

19:58See you tomorrow.

Europe Today: EU ministers meet on Ukraine aid as Trump rejects Iran's Hormuz deal

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