Costa praises Cyprus’ ‘tireless effort’ during EU Council presidency term

On 19 June 2026, EU Council president António Costa praised Cyprus' "tireless effort" during its EU Council presidency term. At the same time, EU leaders disagreed over relations with Russia. Handelsblatt, Der Spiegel and the Frankfurter Allgemeine wrote that a Russia initiative by Costa annoyed Merz, in a struggle over who should negotiate with Putin. At the EU summit, Merz urged patience, and Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that he pushed back against Brussels' foreign policy. TASS quoted Merz as saying Ukraine cannot become an EU member while at war, and Macron as saying the EU cannot mediate in a Ukrainian settlement.

A spat between Kaja Kallas and Israel drew mixed reactions from EU leaders. Kallas said the Israeli foreign minister's statement came as a surprise, and Russian outlets wrote that a State Duma member pointed to consequences of EU threats after Kallas's words. On the EU budget, Merz pushed for cuts, saying "the numbers must come down".