Key events
Ukraine extends martial law until August
Ukraine’s parliament voted to extend martial law until 6 August, a senior lawmaker said, as Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country continues.
Reuters reported that an overwhelming majority of 357 deputies supported the extension, which allows the country to continue mobilizing troops and suspends the election cycle.
One lawmaker voted against the bill.
Serbian cyclists complete their epic Strasbourg trip to highlight student protests
A group of Serbian students completed their epic 1,300km trip from Novi Sad to Strasbourg, France last night, getting a red carpet welcome as they got there.
The campaign sought to draw the EU’s attention to on-going mass protests in Serbia against alleged corruption after 15 people died and several were seriously injured when the concrete canopy of the newly renovated train station in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second largest city, collapsed.
You can see a clip of their (really emotional) arrival to Strasbourg here, as reported by TV N1 Beograd.
Morning opening: ‘The West as we knew it no longer exists’
Jakub Krupa
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the German weekly Die Zeit that “the West as we knew it no longer exist,” as she spoke of “historic” changes taking place as a result of Donald Trump’s presidency in the US.
In a wide-ranging interview, she defended the EU’s position on regulating US digital services even in the face of threats of removing US nuclear umbrella, as she pointedly said “we don’t have bros or oligarchs making the rules.”
Striking a delicate balance, she still sung praises for the US and the EU-US relationship, while urging countries to produce and buy more in Europe, particularly when it comes to increasingly critical defence supplies.
On European security, von der Leyen also warned that “while Putin may pause every so often, there is no limit to his imperial ambitions,” highlighting the existential risks facing the EU.
What’s notable is that the interview – originally conducted in German – was translated for the newspaper by von der Leyen’s office – as if she and her team wanted it to be more widely read across Europe (and beyond; hello Donald and JD.)
Either way, her comments come a day after the EU appeared to be growing frustrated with the lack of engagement on the US side when it comes to resolving the tariffs standoff, with commission spokesperson telling reporters that the bloc needed “an additional level of engagement from the US to keep the ball rolling forward.”
Further talks will be taking place in the background as the 90-day pause continues.
Let’s see what the day brings today.
It’s Wednesday, 16 April 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
