Big story in the battle between Brussels and Big Tech: The EU is poised to exclude Meta, Apple, Google and Amazon from a new system to share citizens’ financial data, in the face of Trump’s retaliation threats @bmoens.bsky.social & @paolatamma.bsky.social with the news on.ft.com/46tA9Yv

Trump takes a question on Putin, says that the US wants to take back Bagram air base from the Taliban as it is "an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons" and then says he settled the war between Azerbaijan and Albania. How can anyone report this?

The EU has styled itself as a world leader in climate change policies and human rights. As we report in this morning’s Europe Express with @lauramdubois.ft.com & @andybounds.bsky.social, Brussels is not living up its own standards on both on.ft.com/4mpUPq9

Mars to invest €1bn into its European operations by the end of 2026 as demand for packaged foods slows in the US and the group seeks EU approval for its $35.9bn acquisition of Pop-Tarts maker Kellanova. Great scoop from @bmoens.bsky.social on.ft.com/3KtIiok

Brussels' chief diplomat @kajakallas.bsky.social says EU college of commissioners debated India's participation in the Russian war games before agreeing this partnership offer. "We have clear areas of disagreement," Kallas tells reporters, citing the Moscow military relationship as "an obstruction"

Brussels is preparing ways to use Russia’s frozen assets to back €170bn of “reparation loans” to Ukraine, using cash balances from the matured assets. With @paolatamma.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/4585...

How not to tee up today’s bright shiny new EU-India deal, envisaged to pitch Brussels as a better friend than Moscow: While EU officials were in Delhi trying to strike the agreement, Indian soldiers were taking part in Russian war games rehearsing conflict with Europe on.ft.com/3K8BWe4

Europe turns to Ukrainian tech for ‘drone wall’ against Russia on.ft.com/3K4XwQM

Draghi puts the boot into Brussels, blaming "inaction", "inertia" and "complacency" for failing to implement economic reforms that mean the EU has fallen further behind global rivals such as China & the US on.ft.com/48hey86 w crack competitiveness crew @bmoens.bsky.social & @paolatamma.bsky.social

On Saturday @bmoens.bsky.social writes: "Antitrust chief Teresa Ribera under pressure as EU merger reform drifts... creating uncertainty for dealmakers" On Tuesday @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu says: "We will have to advance the publication of the merger guidelines. I think it's now time to deliver" 💪

Despite orders to “modernise the EU’s competition policy”, and rising pressure from industry to clearly define her vision, Ribera has moved cautiously - while prioritising other political interests A brilliant insight into the EU’s antitrust uncertainty by @bmoens.bsky.social on.ft.com/3K14tSH

“This was a rehearsal. To probe & find out how good are our early warning systems," said Ret Gen Ben Hodges. “[Moscow] will have taken note that we have still not learned from what Ukraine has been dealing with for years. We are absolutely not prepared...& now they are at our door” on.ft.com/3IhdGWu

Very surprising that VDL didn't open her annual State of the Union speech with a reference to the Russian drones that violated Poland's airspace overnight. An EU member & Nato member; defence as a core VDL 2.0 topic; eastern flank as a central rhetorical theme... omission seems odd

Poland shoots down Russian drones that violated its territory- Nato operation in the early hours of Wednesday saw fighter jets destroy the drones in the most serious clash between Russia and the US-led military alliance since the start of Moscow’s full-blown war against Ukraine on.ft.com/42iRFxd

💥 Scoop! - Trump crashed a meeting of US & EU officials to make the demand, according to three people briefed on the discussion. “We’re ready to go, ready to go right now, but we’re only going to do this if our European partners step up with us,” said one US official

Norway’s ruling Labour party won narrow re-election last night, but will have to rely on a “tutti-frutti” alliance of four smaller parties including Communists, Greens & Eurosceptic agrarians. “It’s a new terrain,” foreign min Espen Barth Eide told @richardmilne.ft.com www.ft.com/content/280b...

EU-US secondary sanctions on China - Europe to end Russian energy imports, asked Trump to pressure Hungary-Slovakia - Europe to work with US on secondary sanctions on China - "Commission to move rapidly to technical discussions of how this might be done"

Brussels is a town of lanyard wearers. But what to do with them once they're used? www.ft.com/content/0d44...

💥 EU officials discussing possible options to sanction third-countries purchasing Russian oil and gas - such as China - driven by US openness to fresh measures targeting Moscow and its allies Ensemble cast w @bmoens.bsky.social @andybounds.bsky.social & @alicemhancock.bsky.social on.ft.com/3Kbs17p

“If you look back nine months ago, in January, everybody was really afraid,” @eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu told @financialtimes.com. “But now I think we have turned the page and need to build upon this new stability and look forward to continuing our relationship with the US” on.ft.com/42hyaVV

I'm old enough to remember some commentators claiming the EU surrendered to the US on this issue four days ago

Worth noting: this is a significant fine, and not the “modest” punishment that some had reported was coming

EU hits Google with €2.95bn antitrust fine for search advertising practices, in the face of Trump’s threat of retaliatory tariffs over Brussels’ digital regulations @bmoens.bsky.social @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/4mOkV7k

💥 SCOOP! The US has informed Nato allies it will phase out security assistance programmes for European armies along Russia’s border, affecting hundreds of millions of dollars in funding under the Pentagon’s section 333 authority which helps to keep the continent safe on.ft.com/4lT4Bkp

Trump to outline US contribution to Ukraine security guarantees in the coming days, after 26 countries at Paris summit of ‘coalition of the willing’ committed to potential ground, naval and air deployments after a ceasefire on.ft.com/45NO2Sh

European capitals are under increasing pressure to make concrete troop pledges for a multinational force in postwar Ukraine, as leaders began talks in Paris that host Emmanuel Macron said would “finalise robust security guarantees" for Kyiv Full details on the discussions here: on.ft.com/47rpBeL

When Putin is more in favour of Ukraine’s EU membership than Orban

EU offers safeguards to ease farmers’ fears over Mercosur trade deal as Brussels aims to secure final approval for pact with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay by December @andybounds.bsky.social has all you need to know: on.ft.com/47q7CFu

Unlike GPS jamming, which simply blocks signals, spoofing broadcasts counterfeit signals that appear legitimate but carry false data. “These can lead to very dangerous outcomes,” said one senior Nato military official. “You should always keep a map in your car.” www.ft.com/content/44cb...

Scoop - Ursula von der Leyen's jet was hit by a suspected Russian GPS interference attack while attempting to land in Bulgaria yesterday, officials told the FT, forcing the pilot to ultimately land using paper maps. on.ft.com/4oZFHST @financialtimes.com

NEWS: Von der Leyen wants an EU ‘defence semester’ to conduct biannual reviews of member state defence investments, she tells @financialtimes.com “We have to build in targets and milestones . . . because only what gets measured gets done.” All details in today’s Europe Express: on.ft.com/4mIMVcE

💥 European capitals are working on “pretty precise plans” for potential military deployments to post-conflict Ukraine including “the necessary items for a functioning build-up of troops” with US backing, EU president Ursula @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu tells @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/4p0FdvZ

The EU’s new €150bn loans-for-arms programme is set to be spent in full, @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu says, after 19 member states, including France and Poland, requested funding from the instrument as Brussels seeks to spur a surge in defence spending. @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/427TgG7

The EU has been “nice” to Trump but now must be “courageous” and threaten to abandon its trade deal in response to his digital threats - “to avoid the temptation of being subordinated to others’ interests”, EC VP @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu tells @bmoens.bsky.social & I on.ft.com/45UcaBn

The EU must be prepared to walk away from a trade deal with the US if Donald Trump acts on his threats to target the bloc unless it waters down its digital legislation, Teresa Ribera said. “We cannot be subject to the will of a third country.” With @henryjfoy.ft.com on.ft.com/47OlOrR

💥 US offers to provide European-led Ukraine peace force with intelligence & surveillance capacities, command & control assets & air defence components in major shift for Trump & big win for Nato, officials briefed on negotiations with Washington tell me & @christopherjm.ft.com on.ft.com/4mKuhko

One EU official said Brussels was adopting a strategy of remaining calm & not responding to all of Trump’s statements literally “It was obvious this would happen [on digital rules]” said another. “Concessions are seen by [Trump] as a sign of weakness making him come back for more” on.ft.com/4n52HhS

Tonight’s front - an EU/US trade deal, and Brits turn to VPNs to dodge new internet controls designed to protect children

💥 Trump says he would “like” to strike a deal with the EU to avert a transatlantic trade war ahead of crunch negotiations with von der Leyen on.ft.com/41g9CvU

Good morning from Scotland where EU & US negotiators are still hashing out a possible trade deal to be potentially finalised by Trump & von der Leyen later State of play: “no guarantee, still key details to be agreed. Ultimately this will come down to the two of them in a room” on.ft.com/4f8Qbel

tl;dr No guarantee of a EU-US trade deal tomorrow Negotiators have been locked in intense talks on the eve of a crunch meeting between Trump & von der Leyen in Scotland, as Brussels seeks to avoid a transatlantic tariff war w @aimewilliams.bsky.social & @andybounds.bsky.social on.ft.com/4l4LzqZ

💥 At least $1bn worth of Nvidia’s advanced artificial intelligence processors were smuggled to China in the three months after Donald Trump tightened export controls, exposing the limits of his efforts to restrain Beijing’s tech ambitions Tremendous @financialtimes.com reporting on.ft.com/4kTaMEw

New EU antitrust chief selected, @bmoens.bsky.social reveals

💥 EU and US close in on 15% tariff trade deal that would mirror agreement struck with Japan By the one and only @andybounds.bsky.social on.ft.com/4fa5N1k

Scoop: After the US pullback, China is making a concerted effort to expand its influence throughout the UN. Story here with @henryjfoy.ft.com @lauramdubois.ft.com and Joe Leahy here: www.ft.com/content/e289...

💥 The EU must strengthen its defence ties with Asian countries despite pressure from Trump to focus only on Europe’s domestic security, Brussels’ chief diplomat @kajakallas.bsky.social tells @financialtimes.com, pitching the bloc as a “reliable partner” in contrast with the US on.ft.com/3TPax2o

Can Europe break free of American tech supremacy? The EU's dependence on US groups for critical digital infrastructure is scaring executives and policymakers - and making stark the dearth of homegrown alternatives @bmoens.bsky.social with today's @financialtimes.com big read on.ft.com/40Wl3c4

💥 The EU is preparing a third trade retaliation package against the US including potential tariffs on services and export controls, to use if trade talks with Washington fail, officials briefed on the talks told @bmoens.bsky.social, @andybounds.bsky.social & I on.ft.com/4eQeyNA @financialtimes.com

The European Commission has stalled one of its investigations into Elon Musk’s X for breaking the bloc’s digital transparency rules, while it seeks to conclude trade talks with the US. With @henryjfoy.ft.com on.ft.com/410Q0Mb

Don't just take our word for it. Here's the verdict from GERMANY: "A comprehensive increase in the EU budget is unacceptable at a time when all member states are making significant efforts to consolidate their national budgets. Therefore, we will not be able to accept the Commission's proposal."