Von der Leyen wins the second term of the EU, Estonia's Kallas as the chief diplomat European Union news

Ursula von der Leyen has been nominated for a second term as president of the European Commission, while Estonia's prime minister, Kaja Kallas, has been chosen as foreign policy chief after European Union leaders reached an agreement last night on the institutions' top posts.

Under the agreement, reached despite resistance from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa was appointed head of the European Council.

Mission accomplished! The European Council has given, the current president of the body, Charles Michel, told reporters early Friday morning, after the summit in Brussels.

All three nominees are part of the centrist alliance that dominates the EU parliament, and while Costa will automatically succeed Michel this year, von der Leyen and Kallas will need to win the legislature's support in order to be confirmed in their positions. .

The vote, which is expected to be close after a far-right surge in this month's elections, will take place in July.

Von der Leyen expressed her gratitude to EU leaders for backing her for a second term and told reporters that she will soon outline her political priorities with a view to winning the confidence of parliament.

Declaring his commitment to promoting unity among member states, Costa addressed the press via video link, saying: Europe and the world are facing challenging times, yes, but the European Union has demonstrated its resilience in the past.

Kallas, meanwhile, said she had been given a huge responsibility at a time of acute geopolitical tensions.

There is war in Europe, but there is also growing instability globally, which are also the main challenges for European foreign policy, she said.

All three won broad support from EU leaders, although Italy's Meloni abstained from voting for von der Leyen and voted against Costa and Kallas, according to diplomats. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, also on the right, voted against von der Leyen and did not vote for Kallas, they added.

Meloni said on the X social networking platform that he decided not to support the leadership out of respect for the citizens and the indications that came from those citizens during the elections.

There was little mystery surrounding the final line-up, as an inner circle of executives had sealed a draft deal for the trio of names days earlier, a far cry from the drama of the last round in 2019, when von der Leyen eventually emerged from a backroom. agreement.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the quick and forward-looking decisions on key posts, saying the nominees would ensure Europe is well-positioned in challenging times in the coming years.

Agreement on the security of Ukraine

EU leaders at the summit also signed a security deal with Ukraine and debated how to strengthen the bloc's defenses against Russia, as they agreed on their strategic priorities for the next five years.

The security deal underlines the EU's support for Kiev's fight against Moscow's occupation for a third year, despite recent far-right electoral gains, uncertainty created by French snap elections and the US presidential vote in November. .

The agreement sets out the EU's commitments to help Ukraine in nine areas of security policy, including arms deliveries, military training, defense industry cooperation and demining.

These commitments will help Ukraine defend itself, resist destabilization and deter future acts of aggression, a more concrete proof of the EU's unwavering determination to support Ukraine for the long term, Michel said.

The leaders reiterated their pledge to support Ukraine as long as necessary, stressing that Russia must not prevail and that Ukraine must reclaim its territory annexed by Moscow.

Russian soldiers are currently pushing forward in eastern Ukraine with intense fighting around towns including Chasiv Yar, where the military said it had pushed back Russian forces on Thursday, although a Russian commander claimed his forces had advanced in the area.

Ukraine's energy infrastructure has also come under relentless attack with the national power company forced to impose ongoing blackouts in some cases.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also attended the summit, welcomed the security deal and urged the EU to fulfill its promises.

Fulfilling every promise is important, not only in terms of protecting lives, but also to destroy the Russian illusion that they will achieve something with war, Zelenskyy told leaders at the EU summit in Brussels.