Eurotopics.net

Negotiations among European leaders on using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine have produced a minimum compromise. The EU Commission has been instructed to examine the options and draw up a corresponding legal proposal after Belgium, which had expressed doubts about the legality of accessing the funds, indicated it would no longer stand in the way. An important first step or unnecessary caution?

The EU's climate policy is under pressure: several member states are opposing the bid to set specific climate targets for 2035 and 2040. As a result, the bloc failed to reach a deal at yesterday's summit. In the run-up to the meeting, no less than 79 industrial companies had lobbied against emissions certificates, which they argued were too expensive. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 academics have warned that scientific findings must not be ignored in the debate.

Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III of England prayed together for the care of creation in the Sistine Chapel in Rome on Thursday. The service, which was held in Latin and English, is the first joint service between the heads of the Catholic and Anglican churches since the English Reformation 500 years ago when England broke with Rome under King Henry VIII.

Donald Trump has cancelled plans to meet with Vladimir Putin, saying that although he has good conversations with the Russian president they don't go anywhere. The US has also upped the pressure on Russia and imposed new sanctions that affect Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, for the first time since Trump's second presidency began. What does Europe's press have to say about the summit's cancellation?