Lisa O’Carroll

Best estimate for decision on the Middle East, to be discussed over dinner, 11am? No chance, says one diplomat. “1.30am and I’m being optimistic”.

There is hope that there could be agreement on the wording around a call for an “immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire” with one source saying Austria and Czechia may “revisit their position” following the US decision to draft a new UN security council resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and hostage deal in Gaza.

EU leaders are also expected to make a decision on the principle of using the windfall profits from Russian frozen assets for Ukraine later tonight sources say.

Roberta Metsola, the European parliament president, issued a warning ahead of the June European elections.

In a speech to EU leaders, she said “this election will be a test of our systems.”

She added:

My appeal here is to resist the temptation in a difficult campaign to blame Brussels for all that is wrong and give no credit where it is due.

We need to be open and honest about our successes – but also where we could have done better. Where we did not match the expectations of our people. Where people still feel left behind. Where our bureaucracy has pushed people away.

Our industry must be part of the equation. Our farmers have to be a part of the equation. Our young people must be part of the equation. People must have confidence in the process, they must have access to tools that allow them to make the shift and they must be able to afford it. Otherwise, it will not succeed. And if misunderstood, it risks driving more people into political disenfranchisement and allow them to retreat to the comfort of the extremes.

That would simply give fuel to those actors who still see Europe as a threat. Who would like nothing better than for us to become weaker.

The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, broke ranks with his European counterparts and congratulated Vladimir Putin on his “re-election”.

“After the official election results, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated Vladimir Putin on his re-election, noting that the cooperation between Hungary and Russia, based on mutual respect, enables important discussions even in challenging geopolitical contexts,” a Hungarian spokesperson wrote on social media.

“Orbán affirmed Hungary’s commitment to peace and readiness to intensify cooperation in sectors not restricted by international law, underlining the importance of dialogue in fostering peaceful relations,” he added.

Russia’s election was widely condemned in the west as undemocratic.

The EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, had issued a statement on behalf of the bloc stressing that the election “took place in a highly restricted environment” and that the EU “reiterates that it does not and will never recognise either the holding of these so-called ‘elections’ in the territories of Ukraine or their results.”

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has addressed EU leaders via videoconference, calling for more help with air defences and ammunition, as well as progress on Ukraine’s path toward European integration.

“This is Russia’s war not only against Ukraine, but against all of us, against your countries as well, against our entire Europe and the European way of life,” he told the leaders.

He added:

All the air defense provided to Ukraine, in particular by European countries, keeps our cities and villages alive. But the existing air defense systems are not enough to protect our entire territory from Russian terror. And it’s not a matter of hundreds of systems, but of an achievable number – to protect all the territory of Ukraine. You all know what steps need to be taken.

​He also addressed the issue of ammunition.

I am grateful for the creation of the Ukraine Assistance Fund amounting to 5 billion euros and for the support of Czechia’s initiative to purchase shells for our soldiers. This will help. Thank you. Unfortunately, the use of artillery at the frontline by our soldiers is humiliating for Europe in the sense that Europe can provide more. And it is crucial to prove it now.

On the issue of defence production, he said:

​I hope we can all agree that our Europe needs real defence self-sufficiency. This can only be achieved by increasing the production of weapons and ammunition on the continent. Ukraine demonstrates that it can be done quite quickly. Please do not waste the time needed to activate defense production.

And he was blunt on trade policy.

We in Ukraine cannot accept the fact that the background for Russian terror is the pressure on our country in trade issues. I am grateful to all those in Europe who also see this pressure as unacceptable. Now, the issue of trade – in particular the continuation of the trade liberalization regime with the EU, is not just about certain goods but about the ability to withstand Russian aggression.

The Ukrainian leader also criticised the import of Russian agricultural goods.

At the same time we see that, unfortunately, Russian access to the European agricultural market is still unrestricted. And when Ukrainian grain is thrown on the roads or railway tracks, Russian products are still being transported to Europe, as well as goods from Putin’s controlled Belarus. This is not fair.

He called for progress on Ukraine’s EU talks.

​Ukraine is fulfilling its part of the commitments to internal transformation, and we know that the EU has a negotiating framework ready for your consideration. Its approval could greatly support our people and send the right signal to the whole of Europe after the European Parliament elections in June.​

On Russian frozen assets, he said:

We need progress on the fair use of Russia’s frozen assets. The aggressor should pay the highest price for the war – this is in line with both the letter and the spirit of the law.

Lisa O’Carroll

EU leaders have been divided on the Middle East since October but sources say that Hungary, a staunch supporter of Israel, may agree to wording on a ceasefire, likely to be conditional.

One source said in the Orbán camp, said: “I think there is a growing potential of finding an agreement on a European level about the ceasefire.”

There are also signs that Hungary is not opposed to the principle of using interest generated from frozen Russian assets, as long as some of it is ringfenced for peace purposes and not military support for Ukraine.

A formal proposal presented by the European Commission yesterday on the €190bn Russian assets held in the EU suggests that the money made available would go to the European Peace Facility, a non-EU central budget that currently partially reimburses member states for contributions to Ukraine but also funds military peace corps around the world.

A Hungarian source said: “We are against it if it goes for military purposes.” But they added that if there was an opt out allowing part of the funds generated from the frozen assets to go on non-Ukrainian missions funded by the EPF such as peace keeping forces in Africa.

No decision on the frozen Russia assets will be taken today with diplomatic sources saying it could take months for the deal to get through “complex” legal hurdles.

The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said that “the most important topic on the table is the issue of Ukrainian grain.”

“Ukrainian dumping is slowly destroying European and Hungarian farmers. The Hungarian position is clear: we must protect our farmers!” he said.

The Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, has said the situation in Gaza is “dramatic.”

“Europe needs to lead, and not to follow – and it is time for us to be clear, to demand an immediate cease-fire, to demand the liberation of the hostages, and to put everyone on track on negotiations on a two-state solution.”

He also said that Europe must “continue and certainly accelerate our support” to Ukraine.

Lisa O’Carroll

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has said the draft text of the EU summit potential final conclusions on the Middle East is going in the “right direction”.

He pointed out that it was “the first time there are conclusions on the Middle East since October” when the EU member states argued about whether the text should include a call for a ceasefire, a pause or pauses in the conflict.

“The draft goes in the right direction for Spain” he said, because it “includes a call for a ceasefire and opens the door to humanitarian aid and a peace conference” which Spain has been pushing for.

Ulf Kristersson, the Swedish prime minister, has said “the situation in Gaza is catastrophic” and “an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all Israeli hostages are needed.”

Lisa O’Carroll

The EU’s high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell said he was “happy” that EU member states were being asked to adopt a declaration on Israel that went radically beyond the conclusions in October when they agreed to call for humanitarian pauses in the conflict in the Middle East.

The eight paragraph draft text says leaders are “appalled by the unprecedented loss of civilian lives”, condemns Hamas in the “strongest possible terms for its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks” and supports Israel’s right to defend itself.

But paragraph 22 includes significantly hardened language.

The European Council is deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and its disproportionate effect on civilians, particularly children, as well as the imminent risk of famine. Full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access into and throughout the Gaza Strip via all routes is essential to provide the civilian population with life-saving assistance and basic services at scale. The European Council welcomes the Amalthea Initiative opening a maritime route for emergency assistance from Cyprus to Gaza, which supplements land routes that remain the main way to deliver the volumes needed. Additional land routes and crossings are needed.

“I am happy that the Council today is going to approve conclusions that go much further than the first conclusions in October when we called for humanitarian pauses,” said Borrell.

Several diplomats have said the text is fragile and may not survive the summit in its present form.

One said: “If you pull one thread, then someone pulls another your sweatshirt may dematerialise”.

Borrell said:

Today the council goes much further supporting UNWRA, asking for a sustainable ceasefire, and certainly also asking for the the freedom of hostages and needlessly to say condemning the Hamas attack, but showing strong concern for the situation of the people in Gaza which is unacceptable.

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, has said leaders “will be talking about the desperate situation in Gaza, which is growing worse by the day.”

He added:

That’s why we’re urgently calling for an immediate pause in the fighting – to quickly get more aid into Gaza and make sure it safely reaches the people who need it, and to get the hostages released.

We’re also urging Israel to refrain from launching a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah. A lot of people have gathered there and they have nowhere else to go.

Above all, we must make sure that the conflict doesn’t spread to the wider region.

Gaza situation ‘a failure of humanity’, Borrell says

Lisa O’Carroll

The lack of food and medicines in Gaza is “a failure of humanity” Josep Borrell has said on arrival to the EU leaders summit.

“What is happening today in Gaza is the failure of humanity, it is not a humanitarian crisis, it is the failure of humanity, it is not an earthquake, it is not a flood, it is bombing.

“The only way you can stop the humanitarian crisis, human crisis is Israel respecting more civilians and allowing more support into Gaza.

“Even now we manage to send food to Gaza people are show starving and especially children… they need medicines to be able just to eat because they are starving. I hope the council will send a strong message to Israel to stop blocking the food going into Gaza”.

Lisa O’Carroll

The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell has taken a side swipe against anyone who suggests that Europe is on the verge of war.

“The calls for European leaders to be aware of the challenges they are facing are good but we don’t have to exaggerate either.

“War is not imminent. I’ve heard certain voices say war is imminent. Well, thank God it is not imminent. We live in peace, we support Ukraine, we are not part of this war we just support Ukraine and we have to prepare for the future, augmenting the defence capacity of our industry, but don’t frighten people unneccessarily, war is not imminent. What is imminent is the need to support for Ukraine,” he said.

His remarks come after the president of the European Council Charles Michel told leaders in a letter that “it is high time we take radical and concrete steps to be defence-ready and put the EU’s economy on a war footing.”

The United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres, has arrived for talks with the EU’s leaders.

Addressing reporters ahead of the discussions, he said:

We live in a chaotic world, with the superpowers at odds with each other.

We have a situation of impunity, where any country or any armed group thinks it can do whatever it wants, because there is no accountability.

And when we live in a chaotic world, it’s very important to stick to principles: and the principles are clear: the United Nations Charter, international law, territorial integrity of countries, international humanitarian law.

And that is the reason why we believe it’s essential to have peace for Ukraine, but peace fully in line with the principles, which means peace respecting the charter, international law, and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

That is the reason why we believe, for the same reasons, that we need a cease-fire in Gaza.

As we condemn the terror attacks of the 7th of October and as we condemn other violations of international humanitarian law by Hamas, we also condemn the fact that we are witnessing a number of civilian casualties in Gaza that is unprecedented in my time as secretary-general.

And a basic principle of international humanitarian law is the protection of civilians.

We must stick to principles, in Ukraine as in Gaza, without double standards.