European leaders meet in Brussels to discuss Ukraine, the Middle East, defence and migration – Europe live
European Council will also discuss broader enlargement policy of European Union towards the western Balkans After yesterday’s Nato summit in The Hague, European leaders have travelled 176 km south to Brussels (1 hour 36 minutes on a train, but with connection in Rotterdam) where they meet for today’s European Council meeting of the EU.On the agenda:Ukraine (including a video call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy),the Middle East,European defence and security,competitiveness, andmigration. Continue reading...
'Rebellion is the only way,' Hungary's Orbán criticises EU's migration plans, rejects Ukraine's membership bid
4m ago 08.45 BST 'Rebellion is the only way,' Hungary's Orbán criticises EU's migration plans, rejects Ukraine's membership bid
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is the first leader to arrive.
One of the key issues at this summit is whether the leaders will be able to agree on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia.
Hungary has been a vocal critic of the proposal, threatening (as usual) to block it. Slovakia is also partially against the new package.
But in his exchange with the Hungarian media, Orbán appears to signal he received a good compromise offer from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. One to watch.
He then takes a few questions from international reporters.
He gets asked what he would do if one of his five children wanted to attend the Budapest Pride march this weekend, banned by the Hungarian police.
They are all adults. So, they make their own choices in their own lives.
On Ukraine, he says he worries that “if we integrate Ukraine into the European Union, we would integrate the war.”
“We would not like it to be together in one community with a country that is at war and represents an imminent danger for us. If a member of the EU is at war, it means the EU is at war, and we don’t like it.”
He gets asked if his calculation would change if there was a ceasefire.
On EU-US trade, he says the problem is the Americans have “a heavyweight dealmaker,” while the EU’s negotiators are “rather weak.”
On migration, he calls for “rebellion, rebellion, rebellion” against the EU’s rules as he criticises the inadequate response so far.
“We have discussed 100 times how to change … the regulation of migration. And nothing happened, they just [keep] coming in,” he says.
He tells his fellow leaders that “if you come together to have a nice meeting and nice talk, it will never ork.”
“The only way to stop it, as we Hungarians have done, … that nobody can step into the territory of Hungary without having the permission from the Hungarian authorities,” he says.
“What I suggest to all my colleagues, rebellion, rebellion, rebellion. … Rebellion is the only way,” he says.
4m ago 08.45 BST 'Rebellion is the only way,' Hungary's Orbán criticises EU's migration plans, rejects Ukraine's membership bid
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is the first leader to arrive.
One of the key issues at this summit is whether the leaders will be able to agree on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia.
Hungary has been a vocal critic of the proposal, threatening (as usual) to block it. Slovakia is also partially against the new package.
But in his exchange with the Hungarian media, Orbán appears to signal he received a good compromise offer from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. One to watch.
He then takes a few questions from international reporters.
He gets asked what he would do if one of his five children wanted to attend the Budapest Pride march this weekend, banned by the Hungarian police.
They are all adults. So, they make their own choices in their own lives.
On Ukraine, he says he worries that “if we integrate Ukraine into the European Union, we would integrate the war.”
“We would not like it to be together in one community with a country that is at war and represents an imminent danger for us. If a member of the EU is at war, it means the EU is at war, and we don’t like it.”
He gets asked if his calculation would change if there was a ceasefire.
On EU-US trade, he says the problem is the Americans have “a heavyweight dealmaker,” while the EU’s negotiators are “rather weak.”
On migration, he calls for “rebellion, rebellion, rebellion” against the EU’s rules as he criticises the inadequate response so far.
“We have discussed 100 times how to change … the regulation of migration. And nothing happened, they just [keep] coming in,” he says.
He tells his fellow leaders that “if you come together to have a nice meeting and nice talk, it will never ork.”
“The only way to stop it, as we Hungarians have done, … that nobody can step into the territory of Hungary without having the permission from the Hungarian authorities,” he says.
“What I suggest to all my colleagues, rebellion, rebellion, rebellion. … Rebellion is the only way,” he says.
Published: June 26, 2025, 7:42 a.m.
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