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Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/21/latest-news-bulletin-march-21st-morning
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00EU leaders fail to endorse foreign policy chief Kayakalis' plan to bolster Ukraine's
00:06defenses at the European Council Summit in Brussels.
00:11Kirstie Coventry makes history by becoming the first woman to be elected president of
00:16the International Olympic Committee.
00:19A major plan by EU foreign policy chief Kayakalis to send urgent military aid of up to 40 billion
00:27euros to Ukraine failed to get off the ground at an EU summit in Brussels.
00:32The plan includes sending 5 billion euros on 2 million rounds of ammunition as well
00:37as air defense systems, missiles, drones and fighter jets.
00:41But President of the European Council Antonio Costa said Ukraine will be funded for 2025
00:46due to, among other things, the Commission's rearm plan adopted weeks prior.
00:51We have a very good exchange with President Zelensky and we reaffirm our full support
00:58to Ukraine.
01:01As you remember, we have our last two councils was dedicated on defense.
01:08The brainstorming day and last 6th of March we have a discussion and we welcome and approve
01:16the package proposed by the European Commission to increase our defense spending.
01:24And now with this instrument, I believe that all the other member states or the different
01:29member states will increase their pledges to continue to support Ukraine.
01:33Also on the agenda was Europe's need to boost competitiveness and innovation amid sluggish
01:37growth and the specter of a trade war triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariff announcements.
01:43Earlier on, the EU said it was delaying until mid-April retaliatory tariffs against sector-specific
01:49targets in the US.
01:50EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the decision was made to allow for more
01:54negotiations with the White House.
01:58We are in principle opposed to tariffs.
02:00We think that tariffs are bad.
02:02They are like taxes.
02:04They are bad for consumers.
02:06They are bad for business on both sides of the Atlantic without any question.
02:12We are in active discussion with the US administration on this issue and I can confirm that we decided
02:19to adjust the timing of the entry into force of tariffs.
02:24The impact of our response does not change.
02:28EU leaders also said they deplored the resumption of violence in Gaza where over 500 people
02:32have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, many of whom were children.
02:36They called for the ceasefire to be put back on track, for the hostages to be released
02:40without condition and for humanitarian aid to be allowed back into the enclave.
02:45Shona Murray, Euronews, Brussels.
02:51Ukraine's President Zelensky said the country's nuclear power plants belonged to the people
02:57of Ukraine, while speaking during a visit to Norway on Thursday.
03:02On Wednesday, during a call between Zelensky and Trump, the US leader suggested to Zelensky
03:08that Ukraine give the US ownership of its power plants for security, according to a
03:14White House statement.
03:16All nuclear power plants belong to the people of Ukraine.
03:22These are state-owned nuclear power plants, we do not have private power.
03:28Energy, nuclear power in Ukraine, yes.
03:31Meanwhile, in a speech to the European Council on Thursday, Zelensky asked for at least five
03:37billion euros in support as soon as possible in order to bolster Ukraine's defences and
03:43urged Europe to continue pressuring Russia to achieve a durable peace.
03:56Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk region have lost ground in recent days, but they are not encircled
04:01by Russian forces, despite the recent comments by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
04:07The Institute for the Study of War has observed no geolocated evidence to indicate that Russian
04:12forces have encircled a significant number of Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, or in
04:17fact anywhere else along the front line in Ukraine.
04:21The think tank is pointing out another strategy that Moscow might be pursuing.
04:26The Kremlin continues to demand that Ukraine gives up its territory that Russia does not
04:31currently occupy to set conditions to make further territorial demands and therefore
04:37attacks in those areas.
04:39Volodymyr Zelensky stated on the 18th of March that Russian forces are concentrating in Kursk
04:44region on the border with Ukraine's Sumy region and may be preparing new attacks on Sumy, Kharkiv
04:50and Zaporizhia regions.
04:53The Institute for the Study of War reports that Russian forces recently advanced in western
04:57Zaporizhia region amid intensified Russian offensive operations in the area, likely as
05:02part of efforts to leverage Russia's deliberate stalling of the temporary ceasefire proposal
05:08to make battlefield gains.
05:11Moscow troops are likely intensifying offensive operations in this area to push towards Zaporizhia
05:16city amid continued Kremlin demands that Ukraine cede all of its region to Russia as the control
05:22of the Russia-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest one in Europe, has
05:28been actively discussed between Kyiv and Washington over the past couple of days.
05:39The European Commission wants to create a single defence market, as outlined in its
05:45new white paper on arming the EU by 2030.
05:49Right now, the market is divided with five leading countries, France, Germany, Italy,
05:55Spain and Sweden causing a situation that leads to uncoordinated manufacturing and supply
06:02chains.
06:03We are producing very many, very expensive products but in the small numbers and what
06:10we need is that the market is able to provide necessary numbers of ammunition, missiles
06:19and different defence equipment and that the countries can consolidate themselves together
06:27and buy together and we need to give the opportunity for the small and medium-sized enterprises
06:34to operate on the market.
06:38Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU has quadrupled its military production, but the Commission
06:44wants better coordination.
06:46It says key areas need strengthening, like air and missile defence, artillery, munitions,
06:52drones and military transport.
06:54To cut costs and improve efficiency, the Commission suggests buying equipment together.
07:01Today, the Germans buy Germans, the Spanish buy Spanish, the French of course, only French
07:09equipment.
07:10We need to open the tenders of the countries to other nations' companies as well.
07:17It needs to give the possibility to the small countries to be integrated part of that all.
07:23The Commission also wants the EU to rely less on American military equipment.
07:28It suggests buying more from European producers to strengthen the local industry.
07:34But this will take long-term political commitment.
07:37The question is, will the member states, who clearly are spooked by the international
07:42geopolitical situation, will they now really put the money there in a sustained effort?
07:48And if there were to be a ceasefire in Ukraine, would they sit back and say, OK, panic over?
07:54Or would they really go ahead?
07:56Because I think that's the fundamental question.
07:59We need European defence and it takes a decade of effort, a decade of spending to get there.
08:07To fund this effort, the Commission reaffirmed its rearmament plan, which should enable €800
08:13billion to be spent.
08:18Every year, participants from around the world, including government ministers in the energy
08:22sector, gather at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, BETD, to discuss a safe, affordable
08:29and environmentally friendly global energy transition.
08:33Speaking with Euronews at this year's summit, the outgoing German Vice-Chancellor and Minister
08:38for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, called on politicians to put
08:44climate crisis back on the political agenda.
09:03He praised the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, for her leadership.
09:30He, however, called for comprehensive reform to ensure unity across the board in Europe.
10:00Habeck stepped down as leader of the Greens following the party's loss at the February
10:23polls.
10:25Despite the setback, Germany's Greens helped push through a major spending package that
10:30included a special fund of €100 billion for climate protection.
10:38Kirsty Coventry has been elected President of the International Olympic Committee.
10:42She is the first woman and first African to lead the IOC.
10:47She won 49 of 97 votes, giving her an absolute majority in what had been expected to be a
10:53tight race.
10:54The 41-year-old Zimbabwean now gets an eight-year mandate.
11:13Coventry, a two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, said that glass ceilings had been
11:19that she was fully aware of her responsibilities as a role model.
11:23Key challenges for her will be steering the Olympic movement through political and sporting
11:27issues towards the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, including tackling issues such as
11:33gender eligibility and the possible reintegration of Russia.
11:37She will also have to engage in diplomacy with US President Donald Trump.