Some breaking news before we dive in: A federal judge has ordered the White House to restore press access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico after their reporters had their credentials pulled. On the surface this is a major win for journalism, but, as always, this is a developing news story. Make sure to continue reading Euronews for updates.
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The ‘new normal’: Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Polish President Karol Nawrocki reportedly met with Alex Karp, CEO of US-based tech company Palantir Technologies, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week.
Not to be confused with the Lord of the Rings seeing stone of the same name, Palantir is known for embedding AI into its tech systems. These systems are routinely used by American forces such as the US Department for Defence and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — but also on the battlefield in Ukraine.
In a post on social media platform X, which includes a photo of Nausėda sitting alongside Karp, the Lithuanian leader said that Vilnius “is ready” to become a strong regional hub for the Baltics and the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). “Combining top talent, AI, data and defence technologies to develop solutions for real security needs across the alliance” the post reads.
Rival hubs: A similar story emerged of the Polish president meeting the Palantir’s CEO published in the domestic press. In Polish, the newspaper Niezalezna reports that Karp officially declared an interest in establishing a regional technology development centre in Warsaw for NATO.
But the company has also been castigated. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has gone so far as to blocking Palantir from public contracts and state-controlled companies. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and others have criticised Palantir for supplying surveillance, data-analytics and AI intelligence tools for those employed in military operations.
In one report, HRW writes that the US’ deployment of Palantir technologies, alongside other systems, led to the “widespread scale” and tempo of Trump’s Operation Epic Fury, the name given to the operation that kicked off the war with Iran in February 2026.
With this track record in mind, I asked the European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius about the meetings between Karp and the presidents of Lithuania and Poland on Europe Today. He said Palantir is a “great company” and the development of AI on the battlefield is necessary.
“Developments with AI for intelligence, for managing the data, are very crucial for modern warfare doctrines,” he said.
“And we can see, for example, Ukrainian development with their own Delta system for data management, battlefield data management. And this is what really is becoming a new normal in the management of battlefields and in implementation of warfare or defence doctrines.” Watch.
No justice: US President Donald Trump once again lashed out at the International Criminal Court during his own show-stopping United Nations General Assembly moment, however Brussels has come to The Hague court’s defence.
In a statement shared exclusively with Euronews, the European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath said that the EU is strongly committed to international criminal justice and the fight against impunity.
“Attacks or threats against the Court, elected officials, personnel and those cooperating with the Court are not acceptable,” he said. Does this mean that the Commission will deploy the “blocking statute” — a legal mechanism designed to protect EU companies and entities from things such as sanctions? The Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen has reportedly requested its deployment.
Member of the European Parliament Chloé Ridel (S&D), who belongs to a group of MEPs calling for stronger EU support for the ICC, just told Europe Today that the blocking statute needs to be launched. “(European Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen has refused to do that. Even so, we gather the majority in the European Parliament in favour of the activation,” she said.
One more UNGA story: Outside of the major news that dominates much of these political events, another extremely important but less talked about topic is how to support those dramatically impacted by rising sea levels.
The UN’s main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ is expected to approve a declaration recognising statehood and UN membership for countries affected by the most dramatic consequences of the climate emergency: sinking islands.
Kamal Amakrane, Managing Director of the UN’s Global Centre for Climate Mobility, just told Europe Today that the climate emergency is not only an island issue. “For some, it is definitely a matter of how they affirm their statehood continuity, their maritime zones, their rights, their dignity,” he said.
“These are the countries of the Pacific, Tuvalu, Marshall Island, Kiribati. It hits at the core of their identity and who they are. In Europe, it’s an infrastructure challenge. It’s an insurance challenge. It’s a livelihood challenge.” Watch.
Onto the Brussels beat: Montenegro’s ambitious goal of becoming the EU’s 28th member by 2028 could be jeopardised unless it resolves its outstanding bilateral disputes with Croatia soon.
As Luca Bertuzzi reports, Brussels was forced to postpone a pencilled-in intergovernmental conference with the bloc’s “frontrunner” candidate on Tuesday, after Croatia reiterated its opposition to closing several negotiating chapters over the ongoing disputes.
Podgorica has already closed 18 negotiating chapters and aims to complete its homework on the remaining 15 by the end of the month, which would then leave it up to member states to sign off on them. But the long-running disputes with Croatia risk derailing the whole process. Read more.
One final thing before you go: The EU is facing the prospect of another squeeze on its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, as Trump’s latest Russia sanctions could disrupt the LNG flows the EU still relies on.
The reporting by my colleague Marta Pacheco comes as Osama Rizvi, International energy and economic analyst, tells Europe Today that Europe’s potential looming energy crisis has far-reaching consequences.
“This can result into a spillover increase in food prices, and an increase in food prices can also result in social unrest,” he said, adding: “This is practically proven. So this becomes a policy measure.”
‘No one’s happy’: Europe wrestles with fallout from Usmanov saga
Officials and diplomats in Brussels are grappling with the fallout of the controversial decision to remove Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, two of Russia’s wealthiest oligarchs, from the EU sanctions list, Jorge Liboreiro writes.
Most point the finger at France, which vetoed an extension to the sanctions until Usmanov was removed from the list. Paris, as we reported, was seeking to secure the release of two French nationals imprisoned in Azerbaijan. As it turns out, the day after Usmanov was delisted, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to 10 years for espionage. A second Frenchman remains jailed.
Though there’s sympathy for the French effort to free its captive citizens, there’s also concern that Paris has opened a Pandora’s box and set a dangerous precedent that will encourage oligarchs to buy their way out of the sanctions.
“The whole affair shows that unanimity hurts everyone, even France. We urgently need to push for a qualified majority in sanctions,” a senior diplomat said. “Unanimity made them vulnerable to blackmail.”
The Usmanov saga comes at a time when the EU shows growing signs of strain in its years-long crusade to cripple Russia’s war machine. A proposed ban on maritime services, designed to hit Moscow hard, fell into limbo earlier this year. Then, the 21st sanctions package became embroiled in chaotic negotiations that exposed a diminishing appetite among capitals to endure economic pain.
The next test will come in October, when member states will seek to expand the blacklist by adding over 1,600 names of individuals and companies, its largest top-up ever. It remains to be seen whether the latest episode will harden resolve or heighten caution around the table – or even inspire a copycat request.
Jorge Liboreiro takes us through the painful aftermath.
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Trump says he will ‘control’ Greenland after deal is reached, is he right?
After ten months of talks, the governments of Copenhagen, Washington and Nuuk have signed a agreement settling the fate of Greenland. Trump claims it gives him “permanent control” over the Arctic island. Shona Murray has the analysis on whether this is fiction or reality.
Europe needs Turkey in its ‘security architecture,’ Erdoğan says at UN General Assembly
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said it is “not possible” for Europe to be stronger or safer if Turkey is excluded from its security architecture. In a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, he argued that Ankara plays a “significant role” in the welfare of the entire European continent. Sait Burak Utucu has the details.
We’re also keeping an eye on
- European Commissioner Dubravka Šuica attends a roundtable on Gaza recovery in New York for the UN General Assembly.
- EU finance ministers meet in Brussels for a Competitiveness Council.
- Commissioner Kubilius meets Dutch Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius.
- European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič receives Ms Denisa Saková, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic.
- European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu meets Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva.
- Alongside the Netherlands, Estonia, Ukraine, Denmark, the Marshall Islands, Albania, Canada, and Lithuania, the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas co-chairs the Ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of Accountability on Ukraine, in New York.
- European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen meets with Chief of Joint Arctic Command Søren Andersen in Nuuk, Greenland.
- European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos receives US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder in Brussels.
That’s it for today. Jorge Liboreiro, Luca Bertuzzi and Vincenzo Genovese contributed to this newsletter.
