Nato claims big rise in European defence spending as Trump says he is ‘very disappointed’ with it over Iran – Europe live

Defence and security editor
in Ankara

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has argued for Ukraine to be allowed to join Nato at its annual summit – saying it would be wrong to exclude a country that had built up strong defences in its long struggle against the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian president said his country had developed almost all the weapons it needed, and now only required European help in developing an alternative to the US Patriots to protect against ballistic missile attack.

“I have a question for you. Do you really believe it? Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside Nato, a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?” Zelenskyy said at Nato’s defence industry forum.

“If we already have these capabilities, if Ukrainians already know how to fight like this, then it does make sense for these capabilities to become a part of the alliance’s collective defence that would make all of us stronger.”

Ukraine is in the fifth year of fighting off the invasion by its larger neighbour. The conflict has reached the point where Russia’s rate of advance has ground to a crawl and Kyiv is able to attack economic targets as far afield as Siberia.

However, Ukraine’s aspiration to become a member of Nato remains far off, with allies including the US not interested in allowing a country at war with nuclear-armed Russia to become part of the western military alliance.

I am back to guide you through the evening and that much awaited Marine Le Pen interview on TF1 in just under 40 minutes, where she is expected to give her first reaction to today’s court verdict on her appeal.

I will bring you all the latest here.

The UK and Norwegian prime ministers exchanged some World Cup banter in the gardens of the British ambassador’s residence in Ankara, Turkey, following a meeting at the annual Nato summit.

The two men, wearing the football shirts of their respective countries, shook hands before Jonas Gahr Støre reminded Keir Starmer of Norway’s 1981 World Cup qualifying victory over England.

Forty-five years ago, Prime Minister, Norway played England in the qualification and we won. And the radio commentators said ‘Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me? Your boys took one hell of a beating’.

In response, Starmer quipped:

What you’re leaving out is that England only win the World Cup under Labour governments – 1966 – so the time is ours.

England’s dramatic victory over Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning set up the encounter on Saturday with Norway, who defeated Brazil on their way to the quarter-final.

The two leaders’ footballing interlude provided a light-hearted moment ahead of a crucial Nato summit set to be again dominated by rows about defence spending amid doubts over Donald Trump’s commitment to the alliance.

In their meeting, they had discussed support for Ukraine and efforts to ensure a long-standing ceasefire in the Middle East.

Nato on Tuesday said core defence spending by Europe and Canada rose 11% in 2026, as Donald Trump pressures allies to make good on a vow to ramp up budgets.

The latest figures were released as leaders from the 32-nation alliance come face-to-face with Trump at the summit in Ankara.

Nato estimated that spending by Europe and Canada in 2026 would hit $634bn from $571bn in 2025, still well off US expenditure on its military.

The increase was down on a roughly 19% uptick from 2024 to 2025.

As you know, Trump is demanding that allies pick up their pace on fulfilling a pledge to reach 5% of GDP on broader security-related spending by 2035.

Nato said that already this year five countries – including Poland and the Baltic states – were hitting that target.

But there were some countries that were lagging well behind – with Slovenia at the back of the pack with core defence spending at just 1.61%.

And now we have Viktor Orbán’s response to Hungary’s state TV news channel halting broadcasting as part of prime minister Péter Magyar’s efforts to undo the longtime nationalist leader’s hold on the media

“Another example of Tisza tyranny!” Orbán posted on social media, suggesting that viewers “interested in the truth” should watch the Hir TV channel linked to his Fidesz party instead.

Control of the media was a key pillar of Orbán’s 16-year rule, during which he transformed Hungary into a self-styled “illiberal” democracy. Restoring the independence of the country’s public broadcasters was a key campaign promise for Magyar, who ousted Orbán as prime minister in April’s historic election in which he won a two-thirds majority in parliament on the promise of a clean break from the Orbán era.

Magyar’s government has moved swiftly to undo the former leader’s grip on the Hungarian state, including by passing a swathe of anti-corruption measures and changing the constitution to effectively bar Orbán from running again.

Besides the public media, the new government has also targeted private outlets owned by Orbán-allied businessmen. Top private broadcaster TV2 has seen its main news anchors replaced and its news director pushed out since Magyar’s election victory.

And there’s big news in UK politics today. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced he is resigning as the MP for Clacton amid scrutiny over his finances, only to subject himself to a self-inflicted by-election – which he will likely win – and is framing as a “people v establishment” contest.

A reminder that Farage faces serious allegations about failing to declare a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and financial support from his friend and fraudster George Cottrell. There are now two investigations by the parliamentary standards watchdog into these undeclared gifts.

Per my colleague Andrew Sparrow, Farage has been trying to regain the narrative amid the sleaze allegations against him but whether this will allow Reform UK to regain momentum in the polls (it has been flatlining, or going down slightly, for months) is a different matter entirely.

His resignation as an MP means the inquiries into his finances will probably be paused, but could be resumed if deemed proportionate after the by-election. If he were to be suspended as a result, there could even be a second by-election after that.

Farage’s opponents are accusing him of triggering this by-election in an attempt to distract attention from the donations controversy.

A spokesperson for Andy Burnham, who is set to take over from Keir Starmer as prime minister, said it was a “gimmick designed to distract from serious allegations about Farage’s funders”, while Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said Farage was throwing a “hissy fit”. Starmer, for his part, accused Farage of a “desperate stunt”, adding: “It’s obvious why he is doing it. He is up to his neck in sleaze.”

You can follow Andy’s blog here for more updates:

As Jakub reported a short while ago, M1, the main public television channel in Hungary, and the Kossuth radio station have temporarily gone off-air, as part of PM Péter Magyar’s efforts to undo Viktor Orbán’s 16-year-long hold on the media.

Kossuth radio’s frequencies were broadcasting a Bartok classical music programme, AFP reports. The websites for M1 and Kossuth were also down.

And, according to a statement from Hungary’s state media umbrella group MTVA, M1 television will resume broadcasting in the evening without news programmes. News bulletins will be re-introduced gradually alongside the establishment of a new editorial team, it added.

I am now handing the blog over to Lucy Campbell to keep you up to date with all the news this afternoon.

But I will be back for the main event – Le Pen’s prime time TV interview at 7pm UK (8pm Paris time), where she is expected to announce her plans regarding the 2027 presidential run.

Meanwhile, there is a big development in Hungary, with the Hungarian state TV’s news channel going off-air with an apology for “lies” it broadcast during the 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s era.

In a post on Facebook, Hungary’s new prime minister Péter Magyar hailed the move as “a historic day.”

“Today the broadcast of propaganda on public media platforms has ended.

They lied by night. They lied by day. They lied on every channel. It’s over now.”

Viewers of Hungary’s M1 channel can only see a black screen with the following message:

“The public media cannot lie. We apologise for doing so for so many years! The public media is now transforming itself to be independent and credible in the future. News service is temporarily suspended. Stay tuned!”

Magyar repeatedly said during the campaign that we would suspend news broadcasts and overhaul the broadcaster if elected, and repeated his plan to do so in the first few days after his major election win in April (Europe Live, 15 April).

A relevant media bill advancing the proposed reforms was passed last month.

A similar scenario unfolded in Poland after the 2023 parliamentary election, with the new government using what critics say were legal loopholes to take the state news channel TVP Info off air for some time.

And there is no public reaction from RN’s Jordan Bardella either, as he is locked in talks with Le Pen at the party HQ in Paris.

Guess we will have to wait till the evening interview to find out what’s next.

Just a reminder that we are expecting to hear from Marine Le Pen on her next steps only later tonight, as she says a prime time TV interview scheduled for 8pm Paris time (7pm UK).

Meanwhile, let’s go back to Paris and bring you some of the first reactions to today’s decision in Le Pen’s case, via Reuters.

European Parliament’s lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve:

“What is crucial for us, and what we have been saying for years, is that they have embezzled and ‌stolen public money, European taxpayers’ money, and indeed French citizens’ money as well.

We have been saying this for years, and it has now been confirmed for the second time, first by the court and today by the Court of Appeal.”

Manon Aubry of the France Unbowed party and its European Parliament group leader:

“The RN entered politics with the slogan ‘heads held high, hands clean’; they are leaving it with ‘heads bowed, hands dirty’.

Whether it is Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella, the RN’s candidate, they are equally adept ‌at misappropriating public funds. Marine Le Pen, moreover, is wearing an electronic tag.”

Marine Tondelier, the leader of France’s Green party:

“Contrary to what the RN has been shouting for years, there is therefore no judicial conspiracy. One could even say that she has benefited from great leniency … In a normal world ‌where the RN had even the slightest shred of morality, she would step down from running herself. Because one cannot decently stand for election after having ​been convicted in this way for misappropriating public funds, even if one remains eligible.”

Left-wing MP François Ruffin from the Debout! party:

“The very fact that it even crosses our minds that Marine Le Pen might campaign whilst wearing an electronic tag is a sign that corruption is accepted in our country.”