Good morning, Brussels. It’s Monday, and I am Angela Skujins. On today’s agenda: Friedrich Merz in Kyiv, Charles Michel on "our commo future", and the Brazilian ballot. Let’s dive in.
Das ist eine gute Idee: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv Sunday in a show of support as Russia escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities. Merz said he traveled to the Ukrainian capital on his second trip as chancellor to demonstrate his country's continued solidarity for Ukraine, underscored by a recently announced €1.3 billion support package for the country's defence and energy needs.
“If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us,” Merz said in a statement Sunday, adding that he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “You can continue to count on our help.”
Zelenskyy thanked the German chancellor for his visit and his words, reiterating that Ukraine is not fighting alone. “Russia must be stopped together,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
Former European Council President Charles Michel just told Europe Today that Germany's recently announced €1.3 billion package for Kyiv does not just support Ukraine on the battlefield. "It is for our common future," he said. Watch.
The visit comes as the aerial war has intensified, with Moscow pounding cities across Ukraine with difficult-to-down ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones. In retaliation — drawing the ire of US President Donald Trump amid escalating energy shocks — Kyiv has been striking Russia’s oil industry and businesses. (More on the energy crisis later.)
After Russia once again warned diplomats to leave Ukraine or continue to put their lives at risk from Moscow’s continued bombardment, the world’s ambassadors stood defiant. This includes the EU’s Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová who offered a firm riposte: “We are staying,” Mathernová said.
Da haben wir den Salat: But some on the sidelines of Merz’s visit have wondered whether it aims to overshadow a recent acrimonious meeting between Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York City.
The meeting was perceived as contentious by some in Brussels: although the thrust of Wadephul’s message during the bilateral was for Russia to stop the invasion and go to the negotiating table with Ukraine, it represented a potential thawing of isolation around senior leadership in the Kremlin.
The shuttlecock diplomacy comes as the war in Iran and reduced refining capacity have squeezed supply, driving a sharp rise in prices for companies and consumers. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously urged Europe to make new stocks available “immediately” to ease costs, saying US "farmers, truckers, and businesses should not be left carrying the burden".
A virtual G7 meeting on Friday, attended by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, brought the energy crunch to a head. As a result, the G7 announced the release of 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil after Trump threatened a ban of diesel exports.
Michel said that it is "absolutely important" for Europe to have "more ambition" when it comes to boosting diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, particularly when it comes to Iran. "We are not seen as a decisive player, as a decisive actor," he said.
His call comes as 20 senior international figures call on the EU to explore "new options" when it comes to the war in Iran. "We have tried appeasement and diplomatic engagement," he said.
"We are observing that a military intervention is tried by the United States and Israel. We think that other options should be developed with the ambition to put the people of Iran at the heart." Watch.
Lula versus Bolsonaro: Nearly 159 million eligible Brazilians voted Sunday in a pivotal presidential election dominated by incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his ideological contender, Flávio Bolsonaro. Neither contender proved strong enough to win a majority, meaning the duo will head to a runoff vote on 25 October.
Bolsonaro is an ally of US President Donald Trump and son of ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro, and said he was “very happy” to lead the first round.
What does this mean for Europe? A victory by Bolsonaro would mean Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, would join Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru in electing Trump-friendly governments in recent years. Lula has made Brazil’s sovereignty a major campaign issue.
João Albuquerque is a former Member of the European Parliament, who served as vice-chair of the EU-Brazil delegation. He is now the Director for Advocacy and Political Affairs at lobby group EuroCommerce. He just told Europe Today that this is a "sad morning" for Brazilian politics.
"Lula has had a very significant impact in approving the Mercosur (trade) agreement, but also in making sure that we have — on cultural issues, on progressive and democratic issues — an approximation between the two sides. I think it was very important that the two sides managed to come together. I think this is at risk now". Watch.
Election fever has not only gripped Rio de Janeiro — it has rattled Paris. After three days of silence, National Rally's French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has responded to media reports of new alleged evidence of antisemitic remarks by the party leader, Jordan Bardella.
“Just madness”: The presidential hopeful told La Tribune Dimanche she has "total confidence" in the man tipped to become her prime minister if she wins the 2027 presidential election.
Le Pen had already defended Bardella when French outlet Mediapart first published the allegations. "You won't get anyone to believe that," she told reporters during a walkabout at a trade fair, cutting the exchange short. “It's just madness," she added.
Sarajevo to Riga: Elections also occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Latvia over the weekend, with the presence of Russia-backed parties looming large across both ballots.
Latvia's Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' centre-right United List party won the Baltic state's parliamentary election in an election dominated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, preliminary results showed Sunday. Jeremiah Fisayo-Bambi has the latest on that story.
Bosnian Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik declared victory for his party in an election in Bosnia on Sunday that was shaped by economic pressures and the prospect of the Balkan nation joining the European Union. It was underscored by ethnic tensions that have divided the country since the 1990s war. | 
