Macron praises Europe’s predictability in face of countries that ‘hurt you without even informing you’ – as it happened

<p>This live blog is now closed</p><p>Meanwhile, <strong>the European Union has sought to ramp up pressure on Hungary to drop its veto on the €90bn loan for Ukraine, with the European Commission saying it will push ahead with its preparatory work for the loan to be paid out.</strong></p><p>The commission <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_764">said it would </a><strong><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_764">draft a legal text</a> setting out the details of the first payment of €45bn in 2026 and what the funds would be used for,</strong> and send it to the European Council to be formally approved by the bloc’s 27 leaders.</p><p><em>“<strong>We proposed a ceasefire for Easter – in response, we’re getting ‘shaheds.’</strong> We also proposed a ceasefire specifically regarding energy infrastructure – the Russians ignore this and once again attempt to strike our substations and transformers.</em></p><p><em>Ukraine is working with partners to expand joint capabilities to protect lives, while <strong>Russia continues to prolong the war in Europe,</strong> and by sharing its intelligence with the Iranian regime it is openly investing in fueling war in the Middle East and the Gulf.</em></p><p><em>Ukraine proposed a ceasefire for Easter. Russia responded with a swarm of drones targeting civilians.</em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/apr/01/zelenskyy-trump-putin-ukraine-russia-war-easter-ceasefire-iran-europe-latest-news-updates">Continue reading...</a>