970x125
Key events9m agoEU working on new proposals for electrifying fleets, but not open to revising 2035 target10m agoEU car industry launches campaign to delay 2035 target for phasing out petrol cars16m agoEU extends sanctions on Russian officials over war in Ukraine17m agoRussia-Ukraine talks ‘on pause,’ Kremlin says, as it accuses European countries of ‘holding back’ talks54m agoGerman air policing over Poland already operational, spokesperson says1h agoNato calls press conference with secretary general Rutte, top commander Grynkewich1h agoPoland’s Tusk hints at more UK involvement in Poland, offers no details1h agoPoland’s Tusk talks about plans for ramping up domestic ammunition production1h agoEU could phase out Russian oil, gas faster to help end Ukraine war, US energy secretary Wright says2h agoPoland’s Sikorski meets with UK’s Cooper in Kyiv for talks on Ukraine, Nato’s eastern flank2h ago21 reported drone incursions into Poland, president’s senior aide says3h agoPrince Harry makes surprise visit to Ukraine pledging support for thousands injured in war3h ago’We were supposed to have sanctions; instead, we got Alaska,’ Poland’s foreign minister on Trump’s decisions on Russia3h agoMorning opening: We wish it it was, but it wasn’t a mistakeShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureEU working on new proposals for electrifying fleets, but not open to revising 2035 targetLisa O’CarrollThe European Commission is working on new proposals to ensure corporate car fleets are switched to electric power as soon as possible, a spokesperson has said.It is one of “two deliverables” discussed at a summit with the car industry in Brussels this morning.It is also expected to launch an impact assessment on the current legislation on the 2035 target to phase out petrol and diesel cars after a consultation closes on 10 October.The Commission said the impact assessment would be of “the legislation on current standards.”“It is not a revision of the 2035 targets,” said spokesperson Paula Pinho.ShareEU car industry launches campaign to delay 2035 target for phasing out petrol carsLisa O’CarrollAlso in Brussels, the car industry formally launches it campaign to delay the EU’s 2035 target for phasing out petrol cars in a three hour summit with Ursula von der Leyen and key personnel at the European Commission this morning.An electric car plugged into a EV charging point. Photograph: John Walton/PAThe main car lobby, representing German, French and Italian manufacturers is pushing for “pragmatism” and “flexibility” around the existing 2035 target to end sales of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.
“Government and regulators have not invested in, nor demanded, sufficient levels of infrastructure and grid upgrades are still missing. The consequence: 2030-2035 targets are no longer achievable.”
ACEA, the body which represents most of the EU’s car industry, including VW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Renault, BMW, Ford, Stellantis, Volvo, and Toyota, hopes a new regulation will be proposed by the Commission by the end of the year.Opponents, including the Swedish Polestar, said the push for a delay is a smokescreen for their own failure to adapt to change in the face of Chinese imports and any delay would penalise Nordic brands who are ahead of the curve.New data, released by S&P Mobility, for ACEA, the European automotive trade body, showed that the take-up of EVs in the Nordics is the highest in Europe, representing the best performing of three clusters of EU countries it surveys.In the middling cluster are France, Germany and Ireland with the two large economies with the slowest cluster including Spain and Italy.Reinhardt Schorsch, head of auto forecasting at S&P Global, said Norway was “a wealthy country” that has seen drivers respond to EV incentives put in place by the government but not in place in countries like Germany.He also said the new small cars from Renault including the retro electric Renault 4 posed challenges because of lower driving ranges. Norway’s EV was dominated by more expensive and bigger cars, he said.ShareEU extends sanctions on Russian officials over war in UkraineJennifer RankinBrussels correspondentMeanwhile, the EU has agreed to extend sanctions against hundreds of Russian politicians, oligarchs and military commanders over the war in Ukraine.The EU’s top diplomats, meeting in Brussels, this morning agreed to a six-month extension of the sanctions against Russian individuals, according to diplomatic sources.Sanctions currently apply to more than 2,500 individuals and companies, including Russian president Vladimir Putin, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and oligarch Roman Abramovich. The sanctions, which were due to expire on 15 September, have been extended on a six-monthly basis for several years. A proposal for a 12-month extension was not approved.ShareUpdated at 11.42 BSTRussia-Ukraine talks ‘on pause,’ Kremlin says, as it accuses European countries of ‘holding back’ talksWe are getting some lines from Russia, with the Kremlin saying there is ‘a pause’ in Russia-Ukraine negotiations about ending the war, and accusing European countries of holding back efforts to find peace in Ukraine.Speaking literally just hours after launching major military exercises in Belarus, right next to Nato’s eastern flank, Russia also said that the drills were a response to what it saw as hostility towards Russia.Erm.ShareGerman air policing over Poland already operational, spokesperson saysExpanded German air policing over Poland in response to the incursion of Russian drones is already in effect, a defence ministry spokesperson said.“Aviation already established operational readiness yesterday evening,” the spokesperson said at a regular government news conference, as reported by Reuters.“This means that we now have two alarm rotas in the area which fulfil the mission 24/7. Both alarm rotas are qualified for the mission,” he said.ShareNato calls press conference with secretary general Rutte, top commander GrynkewichNato has called a press conference with secretary general Mark Rutte and Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich this afternoon.It will take place 4pm BST, 5pm CEST, and we will bring you all the details here.Given Tusk’s comments earlier (11:32), we can expect this to be related to the Russian drone incursion incident earlier this week – particularly coming just hours before a UN security council meeting on this topic at 8pm BST, 9pm CEST.ShareUpdated at 11.03 BSTPoland’s Tusk hints at more UK involvement in Poland, offers no detailsTusk also says the announcement with BAE Systems is “only a part of our cooperation with the UK.”He says he “received another message from prime minister Starmer about greater UK involvement in military assistance, here in Poland, on an urgent basis,” without offering further details.Let’s see what that means. We’re looking into this.SharePoland’s Tusk talks about plans for ramping up domestic ammunition productionPolish prime minister Donald Tusk is speaking now at an ammunition factory in Poland.He says he has been in touch with Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, and expects to hear more about the alliance’s “action” on the eastern flank in response to the Russian drone incursion later today.He also talks about a new investment by British company BAE Systems that will help Poland produce caliber 155mm ammunition.ShareUpdated at 10.47 BSTEU could phase out Russian oil, gas faster to help end Ukraine war, US energy secretary Wright saysThe European Union could phase out Russian oil and gas faster and it would be helpful in ending the war in Ukraine, US energy secretary Chris Wright said.US energy secretary Chris Wright is welcomed by European parliament president Roberta Metsola ahead of a meeting in Brussels, Belgium. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPASpeaking at an event in Brussels organised by the Centre for European Policy Studies thinktank, Wright also said if the EU did not fix its methane laws, it would prevent LNG imports from the United States, Reuters reported.His comments come a day after fourteen green groups have written to Ursula von der Leyen this morning to defend the EU’s methane rules against US lobbying (Europe Live, Thursday).SharePoland’s Sikorski meets with UK’s Cooper in Kyiv for talks on Ukraine, Nato’s eastern flankPoland’s Sikorski has met with UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper in Kyiv earlier this morning, the Polish ministry of foreign affairs confirmed.The pair talks about the situation in Ukraine and the eastern flank of Nato following the Russian drone incursion into Poland, the ministry said.UK national security adviser Jonathan Powell also joined the meeting, it added.Share21 reported drone incursions into Poland, president’s senior aide saysMeanwhile, Marcin Przydacz, the most senior foreign policy aide to Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki, said in an interview with Radio Zet this morning that the number of reported Russian drones that crossed into Poland’s territory went up to 21.Not all of them have been found yet, he said. As of last night, Poland’s interior ministry confirmed retrieving 17 drones.Przydacz also cautioned against what he said was a campaign of Russian disinformation, which sought to make people believe that the drones were Ukrainian, stressing that Polish authorities were “clear” they were Russian and launched from the Russian territory.ShareDespite the strong reaction from Poland, it is worth noting that Trump’s comments appear to be broadly in line with those by US air force general and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Gregory Grynkewich.Appearing alongside the Lithuanian defence minister, Grynkewich told a press conference in Vilnius on Thursday that “we do not yet know if this was an intentional act or an unintentional act” from Russia (Europe Live, Thursday).SharePrince Harry makes surprise visit to Ukraine pledging support for thousands injured in warPrince Harry has also made a surprise visit to Kyiv after an invitation from the Ukrainian government, saying he wanted to do “everything possible” to help the recovery of the thousands of military personnel who have been seriously injured in the three-year war against Russia.Prince Harry arrives in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photograph: David Levene/The GuardianDuring the trip to the Ukrainian capital, he and a team from his Invictus Games Foundation are set to detail new initiatives to support the rehabilitation of the wounded, with the eventual aim of providing help to all areas of the country.Earlier this year it was estimated that the Ukraine war had already left 130,000 people with permanent disabilities – and the government has now put rehabilitation through sport at the heart of its policy for helping veterans.Speaking to the Guardian on an overnight train to the capital, the Duke of Sussex said: “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process.”He added: “We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through. We have to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitised to what has been going on.”Share’We were supposed to have sanctions; instead, we got Alaska,’ Poland’s foreign minister on Trump’s decisions on RussiaOvernight, Sikorski also appeared on Fox News, saying “it’s hard to believe” that the incursions could have been a mistake.He also said:
“We need to change Vladimir Putin’s calculations. We need to convince him that he cannot conquer Ukraine at an acceptable cost. And to do that, we need to impose tougher sanctions on Russia.
We need to starve Russia of the resources to continue prosecuting this criminal war.”
In a bruising comment on Trump’s recent decisions on Russia, he added:
We were supposed to have sanctions, and instead, we got Alaska. And since then, as you say, attacks have intensified.
US president Donald Trump greets Russia’s president Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/APSharePoland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski is in Kyiv today on a previously unannounced visit.In a short video clip in front of the Polish embassy in Kyiv, seemingly intended to respond to Trump’s comments overnight, he appeared with Poland’s chargé d’affaires in Kyiv, Piotr Łukasiewicz.“Minister, I report that after the recent drone and missile attack on Kyiv, the damage to our embassy and consulates has been repaired, and we are operating normally under these conditions,” Łukasiewicz said.Sikorski replied:
“On the night when 19 Russian drones flew over Poland, over 400 drones and 40 missiles flew over Ukraine. These were not mistakes.”
ShareMorning opening: We wish it it was, but it wasn’t a mistakeJakub KrupaPoland’s political leadership appears increasingly concerned by the muted US response to Thursday’s Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace.A Polish police officer stands near a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fragment, after Russian drones violated Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine and some were shot down by Poland, in Czesniki, Poland. Photograph: Polsat News/ReutersAs more and more European partners condemn the incident and declare their support for Poland with concrete offers of help, the US president, Donald Trump, appeared to be more dismissive last night as he said it “could have been an mistake”.“Regardless, I’m not happy about anything having to do with that whole situation,” Trump told reporters, before adding in general terms: “But hopefully it’s going to come to an end.”Overnight, Poland’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, said simply: “No, it wasn’t a mistake.”This was further followed by the country’s prime minister, Donald Tusk.“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it,” Tusk said in a pointed social media rebuttal in English this morning.The diplomatic offensive comes hours before the UN security council gathers in New York to discuss the incident on Poland’s request and we will no doubt hear more from Poland and its European allies in the build up to the meeting.It’s Friday, 12 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.Good morning.Share
970x125
970x125
