The best of POLITICO’s coverage selected by lead European editor Kate Day. Discover the most impactful stories in Europe and beyond.
POLITICO Confidential
By KATE DAY
Dear readers,
“It’s usually the case that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, as European leaders met in Brussels on Thursday. Europe certainly spent much of the week assuming it was about to find itself dangling off U.S. President Donald Trump’s fork. I suppose, in fairness to Trump, even the trams in Brussels have made their feelings about him pretty clear, too.
One fascinating thing about an administration with seemingly little regard for how conventional wisdom would dictate how things are done is that this explosive, disruptive force redraws the power map as much as it does policies. Cue much angsting in Europe when the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was apparently snubbed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who couldn’t meet her due to “scheduling issues.”
On the other hand, we reported this week that Trump allies have found time to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s main opponents. As we start to uncover the web of who speaks — or doesn’t speak — to whom, I’d highlight this useful rundown of 21 people in Trump world to know, produced by our ace White House team back in January.
I’m not entirely sure if it’s reassuring but it seems some conventions persist and politicians do still shake hands — even when one of the men involved, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, has previously confessed to not washing his hands for a decade.
On that note, I’ll wish you all a very pleasant weekend. Please do enjoy the selection below.
All best wishes,
Kate Day
EDITOR’S CHOICE
EU to Trump on tariffs: Go ahead, make our day.
Thanks to its eye-catching headline and spot-on news reporting, this zinger on the latest twist in the transatlantic trade war absolutely blew up to become POLITICO’s most-read story of this year. Read the story.
Top Trump allies hold secret talks with Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian opponents
POLITICO revealed that while publicly claiming they were not interfering in Ukrainian politics, members of Donald Trump’s entourage met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s main opponents. Read the story.
Trump wants to destroy the EU — and rebuild it in his image
Donald Trump hasn’t made his feelings about the EU a secret. But will his apparent efforts to upset the apple cart bring the bloc closer together or split it in two? Read the story.
Defense industry spends big on lobbying Brussels
This data investigation found that lobbying budgets of the largest European defense companies have surged in recent years as they expand Brussels-based operations to meet the growing demand for influence in the capital of European Union power. The quintessential Bubble story! Read the story.
Parliament to probe EU grants to Shell, Volkswagen and migrant NGOs
POLITICO’s scooping of a letter unveiled how the squabble over European Commission cash has expanded to 28 NGOs and business giants. Bound to delight the Brussels core. Read the story.
media
France warms to idea of seizing Russian assets in Europe
A timely story ahead of this week’s EU leaders’ summit showing how attitudes are shifting in the halls of power on whether to seize €200 billion worth of Russian assets sitting in Europe. Read the story.
Trump deepens NATO’s crisis of trust on sharing intel
NATO intelligence-sharing is in crisis mode as allies grow increasingly wary of Russia-friendly leaders in their midst. Great in-the-room reporting lifted the lid on countries wondering about the risk of sharing intelligence with Washington. Read the story.
YOUR WEEKEND PLAYLIST
*EU Confidential: The US-EU breakup — what does it mean for Ukraine, and for peace?*
This week’s episode of EU Confidential comes to you from Thursday’s emergency meeting of EU leaders — the political equivalent of sobbing into your pillow on a sleepless night. The reason for those tears: America and Europe just broke up.
POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt gives us a quick update on European Council talks on how to bolster defense spending and further support Ukraine. We then step back for a more nuanced discussion: What does “peace” even mean, really, and how might Ukraine and Russia actually achieve it? Host Sarah Wheaton sat down with Mikko Patokallio, a Ukraine specialist at the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, which helps mediate global conflicts. Listen to the episode.
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*Westminster Insider: Inside COBRA*
Have you ever wondered about COBRA? Not the snake or the yoga pose — but Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, the place at the heart of Whitehall where a highly sensitive, critical government committee meets when a crisis hits the U.K.
This week, host Patrick Baker takes you inside these mysterious meetings to find out how those in charge take crucial decisions — often on matters of life and death. Listen to the episode.
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Power Play: Zelenskyy ally: Trump is being used by Putin
Will Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s olive branch to Donald Trump be enough to secure Ukraine’s future — and his own? After his bruising encounter with the U.S. president in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy issued an eleventh-hour missive and said he was ready to sign the minerals deal and “work fast to end the war.”
Host Anne McElvoy speaks with one of the most senior politicians in Ukraine, Oleksandr Merezhko, Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee chair and staunch Zelenskyy ally, who argues that Trump is “being used by Putin” in his attempts to force a deal and call for fresh elections in Ukraine. Listen to the episode.
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DECLASSIFIED
Read this week’s Declassified column.
Caption competition
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“What do you mean the royal invite makes him a better suck-up than me, Donny?”
Can you do better? Email us at [email protected] or get in touch on X @POLITICOEurope.
Last week we gave you this photo:
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Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.
“Now, where are the medical researchers?”
by Vasco Branco
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