EU trade commissioner Olof Gill has just offered this update on the talks with the US:
“The EU continues to engage with the US intensively at technical and political level, and that’s all I can say for the moment.”
He then added:
“As regards a deal, an outcome, we believe such an outcome is within reach, and we are working might and main to deliver that for EU citizens, for EU companies, for EU consumers.”
He declined to offer further detail on the potential deal.
The European Commission declined to elaborate on the call between commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy about their controversial anti-corruption law, but welcomed the “new approach” to the reform announced last night.
The pair spoke yesterday, with the commission readout saying von der Leyen said the bloc was “very concerned” about the passed law (yesterday’s blog).
A commission spokesperson said today:
“I cannot give you the exact details of what, when, how and what time [was discussed].
What matters is the message that was indeed passed, a message where we expressed our concern, our worries, about the steps that had been taken in the meantime.
Indeed, we understand that the Ukrainian authorities have taken a new approach, [to] propose a new action plan or law.
We welcome the fact that the Ukrainian government is taking action, and we work with them to make sure that our concerns, which have been clearly explained yesterday and day before yesterday, are indeed taken into account.”
Another spokesperson added that the EU “stressed how important it is to fight corruption” and it will be a requirement in the accession process to the EU.
“We expect all the candidate countries, including Ukraine, to respect fully those standards,” he said.
The EU also offered “to help them ensure that our concerns, legitimate concerns, are taken into account.”
Ireland says it has won key concessions if the EU retaliates against Donald Trump’s tariffs in the event of trade talks collapsing.
Imports of thoroughbred horses has been removed from the countermeasures list, said deputy prime minister Simon Harris on Thursday.
This secures the future of a lucrative industry in Ireland which has several highly regarded international studs with animals flown in from the all over the world for breeding.
Also off the list, after lobbying from Ireland, are sugar, molasses and chocolate.
Harris said half of the “value of sensitive import dependent products, which Ireland specifically requested to be removed are gone”.
The European Council’s trade committee today votes on €93bn worth of retaliatory tariffs.
Harris has reiterated support for the European Commission which is closing in on a 15% baseline tariff.
In a statement, he said:
“While we were successful in removing some key Irish sensitivities following intensive consultation with the European Commission, this package of rebalancing measures if implemented would have an adverse effect on European and Irish business.
However let me be clear, while we do not wish to see this list ever come into effect, the EU must prepare for all eventualities and must be enabled to negotiate with the United States from a position of strength.”
EU trade commissioner Olof Gill has just offered this update on the talks with the US:
“The EU continues to engage with the US intensively at technical and political level, and that’s all I can say for the moment.”
He then added:
“As regards a deal, an outcome, we believe such an outcome is within reach, and we are working might and main to deliver that for EU citizens, for EU companies, for EU consumers.”
He declined to offer further detail on the potential deal.
Lisa O’Carroll and Jennifer Rankin
Meanwhile, the EU was reportedly nearing a tariff deal with the US last night that would place 15% tariffs on most imports from the bloc.
The tariff rate, which would mirror a deal struck this week between the US and Japan, would apply to most goods, with some exceptions for products including aircraft and medical devices, according to diplomats with knowledge of the talks.
Member states were briefed on the latest developments by the European Commission on Wednesday afternoon.
To extract a better deal, the EU has also offered to reduce its so-called “most-favoured-nation rate” – currently at an average of 4.8% – to zero for some products as part of an agreement in principle, a diplomat said.
The final decision remains in the hands of the US president, Donald Trump, but if agreed it would mean the EU gets a worse deal than the UK, which has agreed a 10% baseline tariff.
It would also be a hard pill to swallow for the German car industry, whose tariffs would be reduced from 27.5% but would still be more than five times the 2.75% import duty they faced on exports to the US before Trump returned to the White House.
Elsewhere, the EU and China held the 25th bilateral summit in Beijing earlier today, with both sides stressing the importance of resolving issues in their relationship.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that the relations between the two sides were “at an inflection point”, saying that “as our cooperation has deepened, so have the imbalances”.
“Rebalancing our bilateral relation is essential. Because to be sustainable, the relations need to be mutually beneficial,” she said, calling for more work to “acknowledge our respective concerns and come forward with real solutions”.
Chinese president Xi Jinping said in turn that “the more severe and complex the international situation is, the more important it is for China and the EU to strengthen communication, increase mutual trust and deepen cooperation”.
He urged leaders to “make correct strategic choices”, adding that there were “no fundamental conflicts of interests” between the EU and China.
But the EU was growing frustrated about large trade deficit with China, calling for better access for European firms to Chinese market.
“When our concerns are not addressed, our industry and citizens will demand that we defend our interests. But our preference is always, as we do today, to have dialogue and to find good negotiated solutions,” von der Leyen said.
The two sides also take different positions on Ukraine, with China offering indirect support for Russia in its aggression, and the EU asking it to change its stance.
Here is the joint statement at the end of the talks.
Overnight, Russia also continued its attacks on Ukraine, with the country’s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba reporting attacks on civilian infrastructure in the Odesa region.
But the Kremlin said today it was hard to see how Vladimir Putin could meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the end of August, as proposed by Ukraine.
Such meeting would fall within the 50-day deadline proposed by US president Donald Trump, Reuters noted.
Instead, Russia said its focus was on establishing buffer zones along the border with Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said that Russia had not expected a breakthrough in the talks.
in Istanbul
This round of talks appeared the quickest yet: Negotiators appeared to be wrapping up within 35 minutes of the negotiations starting. It is possible that the two sides have got more efficient, given the low expectations for real negotiations.
A visibly exhausted chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov attempted to dispel suggestions that talks took place quickly, saying that three parallel tracks of negotiations took place including in the preamble to talks.
The first track is intended to set up a meeting between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, “where the participation of [Donald] Trump and [Turkish president] Erdoğan would be most valuable”, he said.
The second addressed the push for a ceasefire, and the third discussed potential further exchanges of prisoners of war, as well as the return of Ukrainian civilians including children.
It appears that little progress was made on all three fronts, with the Ukrainian side keen to show they are still keen to keep showing up and negotiate despite few results from three rounds of talks.
“Real steps are possible– and the other side must demonstrate a constructive and realistic approach,” said Umerov.
“We will always prioritise a ceasefire. At the moment it is not up to us …We are ready to do it, it is the Russian side that is not in agreement.”
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi scorned the Russian side’s proposal of a series of brief humanitarian pauses of up to 48 hours, saying: “This is not really a genuine ceasefire.”
“Humanitarian pauses on the frontline are happening from time to time. It’s surprising to see the Russians trying to sell this as a kind of ceasefire.
A full ceasefire on land, sea and air, this is what you call a ceasefire. When bombs don’t fall on civilian infrastructure.”
He added: “Ukraine has zero pre-conditions for a ceasefire … but Russia rejects this idea of a ceasefire. Why? You have to ask Moscow.”
Tykhyi described the atmosphere in the talks as “more down to earth”, and less emotional than in previous rounds, although there appeared to be little movement on the draft documents outlining each side’s plan for a potential ceasefire.
“Guns need to be silent so diplomats can talk. If we had a full ceasefire the diplomacy would be much much more effective,” he said. “The Ukrainian document is doable, while the Russian one is very far away.”
The Russian side has also repeatedly dodged calls for Putin to meet with Zelenskyy in recent months, with the Ukrainian side now proposing a meeting before the end of August after previously suggesting one in June.
“We understand that in Russia there is one person who takes decisions,” said Tykhyi. “If Putin says he is ready to meet Zelenskyy, president Zelenskyy is ready to meet with him tomorrow. Why is it so hard to just sit and talk, we don’t understand this. Why is it so difficult for Putin to show up and meet with president Zelenskyy?”
Despite what appeared to be slow progress, brief talks and visibly exhausted negotiators, the Ukrainian delegation said they expected further negotiations to take place.
They missed few opportunities to thank their Turkish hosts, as well as president Trump, suggesting they were eager to show that they are a willing partner for peace negotiations, however fruitless. By contrast, Moscow has appeared willing to set the pace, which risks extending talks far beyond Trump’s suggested 50-day ultimatum.
“We want this war to end. We never wanted this war to start in the first place: This is why we will use every opportunity, however small, to advance peace,” said Tykhyi.
First, let’s get an update on Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul last night.
Over to Ruth Michaelson.
After another nights of protests in Kyiv and across Ukraine, the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a new bill to strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine in what my colleague Luke Harding described as an apparent attempt to assuage popular anger at his decision to weaken the powers of two independent anti-corruption agencies.
The move comes amid growing criticism also coming from Ukraine’s main international partners, including the EU, Germany and France.
In a nightly video address, Zelenskyy sought to deflect criticism by promising a new presidential bill.
It would guarantee the independence of anti-corruption institutions and at the same time ensure there was “no Russian influence”, he said. “Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days – on social media, to each other, on the streets. It’s not falling on deaf ears,” he added.
But the apparent concession left protesters unimpressed, Luke noted.
The controversy comes at a politically particularly tricky moment for Ukraine and could derail the progress it has been making with international partners on getting more aid.
Elsewhere, I will be looking at the EU-China summit with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen openly talking about the relations being at “an inflection point” and at a meeting of German and French defence ministers at Europe’s largest ammunition maker, Rheinmetall, in the town of Unterlüß in northern Germany.
I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today.
It’s Thursday, 24 July 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.