EU Council Presidency (Ireland): Ireland officially took over the rotating EU Council for six months in Dublin, with priorities set on competitiveness, values and security under the “Strength with Unity” motto, while Zelenskiy pushed for faster Ukraine accession steps and new sanctions pressure on Russia. Ukraine–EU Accession: Zelenskyy said the EU should open more negotiation clusters and urged unanimity among member states, even as Hungary and Poland remain obstacles. Russian-linked business scrutiny: Zelenskiy used the Dublin address to call for sanctions on European companies “owned or controlled by Russia” that supply essential materials, including renewed focus on Russian shadow fleets. MEP heat debate: In the European Parliament, MEPs clashed over the “right answers” to Europe’s scorching heatwave and whether the Green Deal should prioritize decarbonisation via “electrons” or also “molecules.” Climate shock on the ground: Reports highlighted Europe’s deadly heatwave scale and how cities and hospitals are scrambling to protect vulnerable people. NATO and US ties: Germany’s Merz warned the US at next week’s NATO summit that defence reliance is “two-way,” amid Trump-era uncertainty over US commitment. EU–Ukraine security talks: Ukraine confirmed a ministerial Ukraine–NATO Council meeting during the Ankara summit. EU–Türkiye trade friction: Turkey accused Cyprus of blocking customs union modernisation and pressed for visa facilitation. EU prosecutors: Raids across several countries targeted a former far-right European Parliament group over alleged misuse of EU funds. Tech sovereignty: Portugal launched its first open-source AI model, joining Europe’s push to reduce dependence on US providers.