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Europe Today: Kallas speaks exclusively to Euronews as crucial EU summit kicks off
Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, speaks exclusively to Maria Tadeo as EU leaders arrive in Brussels for a crucial EU summit on spiralling energy prices, an unfinished seven-year budget, and Donald Trump's pressure on Ukraine. We also interview Abu Abughazaleh, the Jordanian Investment Minister.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/10/15/europe-today-kallas-speaks-exclusively-to-euronews-as-crucial-eu-summit-kicks-off
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, speaks exclusively to Maria Tadeo as EU leaders arrive in Brussels for a crucial EU summit on spiralling energy prices, an unfinished seven-year budget, and Donald Trump's pressure on Ukraine. We also interview Abu Abughazaleh, the Jordanian Investment Minister.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/10/15/europe-today-kallas-speaks-exclusively-to-euronews-as-crucial-eu-summit-kicks-off
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:17EUROPE TODAY
00:18Good morning, it's Thursday, October 15th.
00:21You're watching Euronews and this is Europe Today.
00:24Coming up, spiraling energy prices, the EU's long-term budget and support for Ukraine
00:31in the wake of Donald Trump's latest pressure campaign.
00:33These are the topics that will dominate the conversation
00:36as the leaders of the EU gather for a two-day summit in Brussels today.
00:40The meeting will start in a couple of hours with a hotly anticipated discussion on energy prices,
00:46which hostilities in the Middle East have since skyrocketing.
00:50We'll discuss the issues live with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, who is in our studio.
00:56Diesel markets will remain tight well into next year
00:59and wholesale diesel prices in Europe could rise again in the coming weeks,
01:03the International Energy Agency warned.
01:06In its monthly report, the Paris-based energy watchdog said
01:09recovering Gulf oil supplies had failed to resolve the fuel squeeze,
01:14with global outputs still falling short of consumptions.
01:17Supply rose by 2.5 million barrels a day in September to more than three-quarters of pre-war levels,
01:24but remains slightly below global demand, the IEA estimated.
01:29And 58 members of the European Parliament have urged the EU Commission
01:33to shield the International Criminal Court from U.S. sanctions that threaten to disrupt its operations.
01:40In a letter seen by Euronews, the members called and commissioned President von der Leyen
01:45to defend the Hague-based court against what they described as
01:49an attack by a foreign power on an entity on EU territory.
01:54The Trump administration had announced fresh sanctions against the ICC last Friday,
01:59following repeated criticism of the court over its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
02:05Welcome to the program. I'm Stefan Grobe.
02:09EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today for a heavy agenda involving the EU's next seven-year budget.
02:16The gathering takes place amid deteriorating relations between the U.S. and Europe over Ukraine.
02:23And now, let's go directly to my colleague Maria Tudeo, who is with a special guest, the EU High Representative
02:30Kaya Kalas.
02:31Yes, absolutely, Stefan. Good morning.
02:33And, Madame Kalas, good morning. Thank you for joining us on Euronews.
02:37This has been a difficult week, a dramatic week, some would suggest.
02:41It started with that diesel deal with Russia, and now there seems to be real operational issues
02:45when it comes to the intel on the ground in Ukraine. The president of Ukraine, Zelensky, says this is a
02:51betrayal.
02:52It feels like a betrayal. Has the U.S. president betrayed Ukraine and, by extension, the Europeans?
02:58Well, the diesel deal is definitely a gift to Putin. The question is what is he giving in return?
03:05What we see, he's actually increasing the attacks on the civilian and civilian infrastructure.
03:10The ceasefire that was also announced is not really working on the Russian side.
03:16And to that point, the president of Ukraine seems to indicate in an interview with the FT
03:20that he is prepared and will hit back Russian refineries.
03:25There is a clash of visions here. The president of the U.S. says, don't hit them.
03:29We need them because there is an energy crisis.
03:32It started with the Strait of Hormuz.
03:34The Ukrainians say we have to because that is the core of the operation, the moneymaker for Russia.
03:39In your view as a top European diplomat, should Ukraine hit them?
03:42I mean, the core issue is that Russia should stop this war.
03:46So there wouldn't be any attacks on the refineries either.
03:51But, you know, if we look at the big picture, then the majority of the financing for this war comes
03:59from oil.
03:59And that is why Ukraine is also targeting them, while Russia is targeting the energy infrastructure inside Ukraine
04:08to cause as much suffering for the Ukrainian people for the upcoming winter.
04:12And this is an escalation we've seen since August on the cities.
04:16But just to pick up on this point, would you say, yes, the president of Ukraine has a legitimate point?
04:21He is right to hit the refineries.
04:24Yes, if we look at the, you know, the international law, it is clear that it is in defense of
04:30Ukraine,
04:31because that is where the funding comes for this war to kill Ukrainian people every day.
04:36And to me, it seems the administration is looking currently at this scenario,
04:40suggesting that the war is now not going to change.
04:43That line on the battlefield, that is the end of it.
04:46And you have to make a deal.
04:48They seem to think that with Russia, it's a matter of business, financial incentives.
04:53We see that with diesel reports that they may want to use some of the frozen assets,
04:57potentially give them to Russia.
04:59Is the administration wrong?
05:01Are they just miscalculating fully what Vladimir Putin wants?
05:06Well, clearly, you know, we have to see the bigger picture,
05:09which is that we have one aggressor and one victim.
05:12So pressuring the victim to surrender is maybe bringing the pause to this war,
05:18but not, you know, in long term.
05:20And that's why the pressure should be on the aggressor, what we are doing on the European side.
05:25And if we would do this together with U.S., then the message to Russia would be clear.
05:31Stop this war and all your, you know, worries when it comes to oil refineries and whatnot will also stop.
05:38To me, from the outside, what it seems, however, is we are a point of rupture.
05:43The U.S. has taken on a very different path compared to that of the Europeans.
05:46Do you look at it and you say, we need a wake up call?
05:49It is just a moment of we need to put our own plan.
05:53And why has that not happened now?
05:54Well, we have put our own plan.
05:57And that is a clear message also to Russia that, you know, all these things that they are interested in,
06:04lifting the sanctions, I mean, getting, you know, the release of frozen assets,
06:09that's actually up to the Europeans to decide.
06:11Now, Russians want to discuss and negotiate with U.S. so that U.S. would deliver them what they want.
06:18So, you know, Europe is just a nuisance here.
06:21But actually, you know, we have our own requests for Russia because they have started this war.
06:28We want to make sure that they don't continue.
06:31Also, you know, the sabotage acts, hybrid attacks that they have on European soil.
06:36So clearly, clearly, you know, the message is there that, you know, you need to talk to the Europeans as
06:42well.
06:42But it seems to me, and I say this with all due respect because the EU is a complex institution,
06:48the capitals too,
06:49but there is a lack of leadership.
06:50When you are blindsided every four months, when you're not really at the heart of the negotiations,
06:55when the hybrid attack escalates, the message I get is that the U.S. does not respect the perspective of
07:01the Europeans
07:02and that Russia is willing to test them. Why? Where is the failure coming from?
07:06Because the calculation is that, you know, if Russia and U.S. agree, then, you know, Russia will get what
07:13they want.
07:14But they have miscalculated because, you know, when was the Anchorage agreement?
07:19It was August last year. So it is more than a year that they have tried to pressure Ukraine.
07:26But the but the calculus has been wrong because Europeans have been supporting Ukraine and Ukraine has not surrendered,
07:34even though Americans have been pressuring.
07:37And yet I see a very difficult political calendar with the elections that are lining up in Europe.
07:43Yesterday, Marine Le Pen was in Brussels and she said, and this is a quote,
07:46France is not in a position where it can't pay for Ukraine anymore.
07:50If others want to pay, they can. But France will not pay. They cannot do it anymore.
07:54When you hear that, are you concerned? Because it seems to me the political tide is not working in favor
07:59of Ukraine.
08:00It is true that we are all democracies and a lot of elections are coming up.
08:05And also there are a lot of, you know, the public support is also in a different place than it
08:11was, you know, four years ago.
08:13That's also very clear. But this is what the Russians are actually, you know, playing at.
08:17That they are playing at, that the Europeans will get tired and then they will get what they want.
08:24And what I want to stress is that then we will only have a pause and the appetite for them
08:30will grow.
08:30And to that point, there is a financial cost.
08:33However, the Europeans, let's be honest, can they pay 100 billion?
08:37Assuming maybe that's the number we're looking at to help the Ukrainians.
08:42Who is going to finance this?
08:44And ultimately, is it not just obvious that you've got to tap into the Russian frozen assets before the Americans
08:49do it?
08:49Well, the frozen assets are frozen in Europe. And also, I mean, the agreement between the European leaders is that
08:58they are going to remain frozen until Russia pays reparations.
09:03So, yes, clearly a lot of member states are pointing at these 200 billion that, you know, we should take
09:09this money that Ukraine needs from these frozen assets.
09:12And what's it going to take to change dynamics then?
09:16What's it going to take? It's going to take a clear plan to actually, you know, divide the risk.
09:24Because, yes, some member states have the frozen assets. They are afraid of the risk that comes to their way.
09:30If all the member states would share the risk...
09:34Is that idea still alive?
09:35Yes, it is. It is still alive. But, you know, also the clear plan needs to come.
09:43And just, High Representative, as a final point, over the past six months, there has been a campaign, something I've
09:49not seen in a long time in Brussels,
09:50to undermine your work and your institution. What I see today is a High Representative that is determined and is
09:57not going anywhere.
09:58Are you going to fight for your institution?
10:00Of course, of course, I'm going to fight. And it's a good institution, meaning that we do a lot of
10:07good work.
10:07The EU delegations that everybody is very happy with are working well for also the member states.
10:13I think this is the moment in time where we need to be effective in our foreign policy.
10:18We need to be united. And that's why the discussions, I actually welcome how can we make them more effective.
10:24And that's your message to the capitals too? That you will be on top of this dossier?
10:28Yes, absolutely. And that has been my message and also the message of my Secretary General who has been traveling.
10:35I see you revitalized this morning. I see you energized. Is that how you feel?
10:40Absolutely. I mean, you know, tough times need to have a tough, you know, stance.
10:46Well, to that point, Kaya Callas, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews this morning.
10:50Stefan.
10:52Thank you, Maria. And thank you, High Representative Kaya Callas.
10:56Europe is facing a strategic choice over its future borders.
11:00With Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans pressing for EU membership,
11:04enlargement is back at the heart of the European debate.
11:07Austria is proposing a new approach, giving candidate countries access to the single market as they complete reforms,
11:15rather than making them wait for full membership.
11:18But does that accelerate enlargement or risk creating a permanent halfway house?
11:24Yesterday, I had a chance to speak to Austria's Foreign Minister, Beate Meiner Reisinger, to discuss her proposal.
11:30And I started by asking her why the enlargement process is moving so slowly.
11:35Is it because the candidate countries are lacking reforms or because of political reluctance inside the EU itself?
11:43Here's what she said.
11:46There are so many countries now in the waiting room for or have been in the waiting room for over
11:5020 years,
11:52especially those countries from the Western Balkans.
11:55And you know that Austria is a fierce promoter of Western Balkan accession.
11:59I think it's both.
12:00First, it's a very complicated and bureaucratic process.
12:04And it's hard to do reforms, to reform everything in your country, which is what we ask for from these
12:11states.
12:12But on the other hand, it's also a little bit, well, not only political reluctance,
12:18but also bureaucratic reluctance of Brussels not being able to promote ideas like this asexual integration,
12:31this step-by-step membership as we introduce now into the discussion.
12:35On that point, Austria has proposed to give EU candidates access to parts of the single market before they become
12:42members.
12:43Isn't this essentially EU membership a la carte?
12:47No, it's not a la carte because this is not a membership only in a single point.
12:52And that's it then.
12:53The target, the goal is always full membership.
12:57But what we have seen now over the last two decades is that those exceeding countries, they do reforms in
13:04some countries on a faster pace
13:06and some a little bit more slowly, but they do reforms.
13:10But it has been always everything or nothing.
13:13So if you do all the reforms, you get eventually the full membership.
13:18And now this idea of step-by-step membership, it's a development out of our gradual integration approach,
13:25means that if you do reforms in a respective area, you can enter the single market there.
13:30So it's not like, I don't know, an elevator you take.
13:35It's not getting any faster, but you see the effects of the reforms immediately.
13:41Now, there are fewer than half of Austrians who currently support EU enlargement.
13:46Why should Austrian taxpayers and voters see another enlargement as being in their interest?
13:53Well, actually, that is our communication job.
13:56And I see the numbers as well.
13:57And I'm a little bit wondering what has been the communication over the last two decades,
14:02because Austria is among the top investors in nearly all exceeding countries, especially in the Western Balkans,
14:10but also take, for example, Ukraine.
14:14I think Austria has been the sixth largest investor there.
14:17More than 200 companies are already there.
14:19With every enlargement round we made, after Austria was a full member of the European Union,
14:25and we saw that Austria benefited enormously so that wealth in our own country and jobs have been created.
14:35Now, finally, if the EU doesn't offer the Western Balkans a credible part to membership now,
14:42are we effectively handing the region to Russia and China?
14:45Yes, we are.
14:46I always say there is no such thing as a vacuum in EU politics.
14:51And the enlargement is the most powerful and important EU strategic instrument the European Union has.
15:01So it is primarily, in my opinion, a political decision to be taken that we say, no, this is our
15:09backyard.
15:09We want the countries of the Western Balkans, we want also Ukraine, Moldova to be part of the European Union.
15:18But apart from that, we are not only an internal market, we are also a union created out of values.
15:25So they have to do the reforms, but we have to find possibilities how to make it much quicker than
15:32in the past.
15:33Once again, for Western Balkan countries, there has been more than two decades, and we are losing the population there.
15:40And if the population is getting frustrated, it's very easy for Russia or China or the US to enter those
15:47countries.
15:51Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meiner Reisinger.
15:54And now to the Middle East, but not to Iran.
15:58Jordan is looking to turn its partnership with the European Union into a major economic opportunity.
16:03With billions of euros on the table, Amman wants European investment in everything from energy and infrastructure to technology and
16:12logistics.
16:13But beyond the money, this is also about geopolitics.
16:17As wars and instability reshape the Middle East, Jordan is positioning itself as a stable gateway between Europe, the Gulf
16:25and the wider region.
16:26So what does Jordan want from Brussels? And what can it offer Europe in return?
16:32To learn more about this, I'm now joined by Jordan's Investment Minister, Tarek Abu Ghazali.
16:38Good morning, sir, and welcome to the program.
16:40Good morning, Chef Finn.
16:41So you are in Brussels asking Europe to invest more in your country.
16:47What is the single biggest reason for a European investor to put money in Jordan?
16:55Simply, any investor is looking for predictability.
16:58And due to what's happening not only in the region, in the whole world, growth is questionable now.
17:04And Jordan and Europe is working hard to elevate the comprehensive and strategic partnership
17:11to a level where there is a productive investment opportunity available for investors to yield more growth and prosperity at
17:22the end of the day for all related nations.
17:25So the EU has committed around 3 billion euros to Jordan through 2027.
17:30What do you want from Brussels now that you're not getting from that package?
17:36Actually, we are having good talk with Brussels and we are working closely to make things happen properly.
17:45Now, Brussels is helping us on the technicalities of the investment opportunities, etc.
17:52and supporting us in bringing to the conference high level officials, interested investors to make sure that dialogue is transforming
18:03from only talks to potential deals
18:07that will support as well the continuity of businesses and the modernity of the economical situation in Jordan and the
18:16region.
18:16Plus, as you mentioned, Jordan is becoming the safe gateway to support all neighbouring countries,
18:24ensure there is more cohesion between the plans and the economic integration in the Middle East.
18:30If I may, on that point, as you say, Jordan sees itself as a hub, a wider gateway into the
18:37Middle East.
18:37But for investors, it's also a very unstable region. So why should they choose Jordan rather than avoiding the region
18:49altogether?
18:49Because the region has a lot of potential in the future and instability will fade out soon.
19:00So you have to be ready in order to ensure you seize the opportunity from now.
19:07Plus, Jordan has eventually showed all the investors that we have a resilient economy.
19:14For example, our capital market grew 40% in the last year, despite all the instability in the market,
19:22and was named by Bloomberg as the first Arab productive and performance capital market.
19:32Our economy is growing steadily at 3%.
19:37All right. Sorry, Minister, I have to stop you here. That's all the time we have for today.
19:42Thank you for coming on the show.
19:44And that's it for today. Thank you for watching. I'm Stefan Grobe, and I'll see you tomorrow.
19:59We'll see you tomorrow.