I’m young enough to remember when Putin used to call Zelenskyy “illegitimate” and reject any proposal to meet with him.

The European flag returns to the Hungarian parliament.

For the first time in 16 years, Hungary is not governed by Viktor Orbán. His era has ended. Péter Magyar has been sworn in as prime minister under the promise of what he called "regime change". Coincidentally, it's Europe Day.

Danish shock: Mette Frederiksen has failed to form a centre-left coalition. The King has asked Troels Lund Poulsen, the chairman of the Liberal Party, to attempt a centre-right coalition. But Poulense's success isn't guaranteed either, which means Frederiksen might return.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a decree allowing the Victory Day parade in Moscow. Amazing, really.

Nothing to see here: the European Commission clears Olivér Várhelyi of allegations linking him to an alleged spying network in Brussels. "It is not possible to attribute individual responsibility of involvement beyond that of the intelligence officers."

After two years under Hungary's veto, the European Peace Facility (remember it?) has accumulated €43 billion in pending requests from member states, a senior official says. The fund, which has €6.6 billion in cash, is meant to partially reimburse military donations to Ukraine.

Europeans are taking credit for the growing signs of strain in the Russian economy. Does that mean sanctions are working? It's complicated. @jorgeliboreiro.bsky.social explains why. l.euronews.com/Kil9

Sanctioned economies "don't tend to collapse", Timothy Ash from @chathamhouse.org tells me. However, the buffers built by the Kremlin before the war have "worn down" and the pain is expanding across multiple sectors. "If I were in the Kremlin, I would be more worried now than I was six months ago."

After 20 rounds of unprecedented sanctions, the European Union is finally seeing cracks in the Russian economy. Does that mean sanctions work? It's not so simple. But the signs are promising. I explain why.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner might visit Kyiv "at the turn of spring and summer" to advance the peace negotiations. Reminder: Since the process began, Witkoff has travelled to Moscow eight times and none to Kyiv.

Almost right on time: the Court of International Trade has found that Trump wrongly invoked a decades-old law to impose a universal 10% tariff in February after the ruling of the Supreme Court that brought down his “reciprocal” tariffs.

With a cost of $8.5 billion, a lithium battery factory in Hungary is China's largest investment in Europe. Orbán's defeat throws the project into disarray.

Full story: Donald Trump delays his "much higher" tariffs on the European Union until 4 July, giving legislators plenty of time to approve the trade deal.

Just in: Donald Trump says the EU has until 4 July to approve the legislation of the trade deal or face “much higher” tariffs. Timeline vastly extended. The initial threat was supposed to materialise this week.

Latest on hantavirus from Brussels.

Spain, where the MV Hondius is heading, has activated the Civil Protection Mechanism. "We are assessing the modalities and the needs of Spain, and we are discussing what kind of assistance could be provided," the Commission says.

The European Commission says "there is no cause for concern at the moment" regarding the hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius. "The risk for the Europeans is low," a spokesperson says. A coordination meeting with member states that have nationals on the ship is taking place this afternoon.

Overnight: MEPs and member states failed to reach a common position on the EU-US trade deal. Work will continue at the technical level, with another round of negotiations expected soon, possibly on 19 May. But will the White House retaliate before then?

It's crunch time: as Trump threatens to hike tariffs, the European Parliament and member states struggle to agree on a common position on the EU-US trade deal. The Parliament wants to add safeguards, but member states prefer to stick to the original text and avoid the impression of non-compliance.

New: Hungary (still under Viktor Orbán) has returned the cash and funds seized from Ukraine’s Oschadbank in early March. “Both the funds and the valuables are back on Ukrainian territory in full. I am grateful to Hungary for its constructive approach and civilized step,” Zelenskyy says.

Emmanuel Macron says the EU should trigger the Anti-Coercion Instrument if Donald Trump follows through with his threat and hikes tariffs on cars from 15% to 25%. "There are agreements that have been signed, and they must be respected."

"A deal is a deal": Ursula von der Leyen says the EU is prepared for "every scenario" if Donald Trump unilaterally hikes tariffs on cars to 25%, as he has threatened.

Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has been ousted after the Social Democrats quit the pro-European coalition and teamed up with the far-right AUR to approve a no-confidence vote. President Nicușor Dan is expected to call parties for talks to build a new centrist coalition.

The European Union is "prepared for every scenario" if Donald Trump unilaterally hikes tariffs on cars, says Ursula von der Leyen. "A deal is a deal, and we have a deal," she said in Armenia. https://l.euronews.com/bWTu

Just in: Ursula von der Leyen hits back at Donald Trump's latest tariff threat, saying the European Union is prepared "for every scenario". "A deal is a deal," she reminds him.

Meanwhile, Robert Fico has decided to skip the military parade in Moscow on 9 May. He’ll still fly to the city and hold a brief meeting with Putin.

After Russia unilaterally declared a ceasefire between for the Victory Day parade, Zelenskyy announces a ceasefire starting several days earlier which will *only* take place if Russia reciprocates. So Zelenskyy is now pushing Putin to accept a truce on his own terms.

To join the €90 billion loan for Ukraine, the UK must commit to a "fair and proportionate contribution" to the costs of the annual interest rates (around €3 billion) that is commensurate with the value of contracts awarded to British entities, says the European Commission.

Did you miss the European Political Community in Armenia? Fear not: I have the six takeaways to help you understand what happened.

Roberta Metsola hits back at Ilham Aliyev after the Azeri president denounced the European Parliament.

Officials: The EPC is more than just photo-ops. Leaders:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "We need to find a workable diplomatic format, and Europe must be at the table in any talks with Russia. And we're in contact with the US, and we understand their views and positions, but it would be good to develop one common European voice for talks with Russia."

🔥 Shots fired at #EPC: Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev attacks the European Parliament for spreading "slander and lies" with resolutions, "kind of an obsession". Roberta Metsola takes the floor to hit back: "The outcome might be uncomfortable for some, but we'll never change the way we work."

Kaja Kallas says the withdrawal of US troops from Germany "comes as a surprise" and urges to quickly reinforce the European pillar of NATO. "The American troops are not only in Europe to protect European interests but also American interests," she says in Armenia. #EPC

Friedrich Merz speaks up: “The United States is and will remain Germany‘s most important partner in the North Atlantic Alliance. We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.”

The US Department of Defence plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany amid the spat between Trump and Merz. The US currently has more than 36,000 active duty troops across Germany, so the withdrawal amounts to about 14% of total.

The European Commission says it keeps its “options open to protect EU interests” in response to Donald Trump’s threat to hike tariffs on cars from 15% (as agreed) to 25%. But before taking any steps, it will ask Washington to clarify the threat.

Interesting timeline… Friedrich Merz says Iran “humiliated” the US and makes headlines. Trump says Merz is doing a “terrible job” and the US is might withdraw troops from Germany. Trump threatens to hike tariffs on EU-made cars to 25%. Germany is the EU’s largest car maker.

This happening the same day EU leaders celebrate the provisional application of the trade deal with Mercosur. What a mess.

🚨 Trade war reignites: Trump suddenly announces he will raise tariffs on EU cars from 15% to 25% as of next week. The increase hijacks the EU-US trade deal, which had capped tariffs at 15% maximum.

The imminent departure of Viktor Orbán is forcing EU leaders to confront uncomfortable questions about Ukraine's accession process that the Hungarian veto had, until now, kept unanswered. #EuropeNews

For almost two years, the debate about Ukraine's accession to the EU has been shaped by Viktor Orbán and his unyielding veto. Now, after his defeat, leaders have no choice but to face the tough questions they've been dodging. My long read on what's next.

The EU shouldn't humiliate itself by seeking direct talks with Russia, says Kaja Kallas. "Russia is gearing up its military for a long-term confrontation with the West," she said. "There can be no return to ‘business as usual’ with Russia."

New: Maroš Šefčovič slaps back at China's threats. "We will fight tooth and nail for every European job, for every European company, for every open sector, if we see they are treated unfairly," he tells @euronews.com.

Following the resolution of the crisis, the European Commission maintains it is “ready” to impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in Russia’s trade of stolen Ukrainian grain “if necessary”.

Ukraine welcomes Israel's decision to reject the Russian vessel loaded with stolen grain. "This is also a clear signal to all other vessels, captains, operators, insurers, and governments: do not buy stolen Ukrainian grain. Do not become part of this crime," says foreign minister.

Zelenskyy: "I have instructed our representatives to contact the team of the President of the United States and clarify the details of Russia’s proposal for a short-term ceasefire. Ukraine seeks peace and is doing the necessary diplomatic work to bring this war to a real end."

🚨 The standoff is over: Israel rejects Panormitis, the Russian vessel suspected of carrying stolen grain from Ukraine, which triggered a diplomatic crisis and sanctions threats from Kyiv and Brussels.

Donald Trump says he's "studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time", just a few days after Chancellor Merz said Iran had "humiliated" the United States.