The European Union on Monday (May 11, 2026) imposed sanctions on 16 officials accused of helping Russia to abduct tens of thousands of children from Ukraine and force many to change their identities or be put up for adoption.

Sanctions were also slapped on seven centres suspected of indoctrinating the children or training them to serve in the armed forces, either for Russia or pro-Russian militias inside Ukraine.

Over 130 people and “entities” are now under EU travel bans and asset freezes over the abductions.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, about 20,500 children have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-held territories in eastern Ukraine.

“Russia is trying to erase their identity,” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said on Monday at a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels, where the sanctions were endorsed.

“When you look at the Genocide Convention, it’s one of the features of the genocide crime. So, it’s very serious.” The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions.

Around 2,200 children have been returned, but identifying them is complicated. Children taken at a young age can be difficult to recognise just a few years later. Getting them home is a harrowing task, and some children are not necessarily welcomed when they return.

The EU on Monday was hosting, alongside Canada, a meeting of the 47-country International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia and rally support for work to verify and trace those who are taken.

“War has really many faces, but stealing the children is really one of the most horrific,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said ahead of the gathering. “We should stop this, and Russia should pay.”

The ripples from war in the Middle East are already being felt in Europe, with rising energy prices and NATO allies targeted, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday (March 9, 2026).

Oil prices soared on Monday (March 9, 2026), peaking just short of $120 a barrel as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran continued into a second week, with Tehran launching fresh retaliatory strikes in the Gulf.

“We are now seeing a regional conflict with unintended consequences. And the spillover is already a reality today,” the European Commission president told EU ambassadors, ahead of a midday call with Middle Eastern leaders.

“Our citizens are caught in the crossfire. Our partners are being attacked,” she said, citing an Iranian-made drone hitting a British base on EU-member Cyprus, trade disruptions and the “displacement of people”.

While Iran has not officially shut off the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world’s crude supplies and a substantial amount of gas run — shipping through the critical waterway has all but dried up.

European gas prices also jumped as much as 30 percent% Monday (March 9, 2026), albeit remaining well below the peaks reached in the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Ms. Von der Leyen stressed that “there should be no tears shed for the Iranian regime”.

“The people of Iran deserve freedom, dignity, and the right to decide their own future — even if we know this will be fraught with danger and instability during and after the war”.

The “longer-term impact” of the war posed “existential questions” on the future of an international rules-based system and the 27-nation’s bloc place in the world, she told the annual gathering of European Union diplomats in Brussels.

“The idea that we can simply retrench and withdraw from this chaotic world is simply a fallacy,” she said.

Mr. Von der Leyen also addressed the Ukraine conflict and assured the gathering that Brussels will see through a vital 90 billion euro ($104 billion) loan to Kyiv that is being blocked by Hungary.

“We will deliver on our commitments, because our credibility — and more importantly, our security — is at stake,” she said.

A “successful India” is in the world’s interest, said visiting European Union leaders, as officials in New Delhi confirmed that negotiations for the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have been concluded.

“Official level negotiations are being concluded and both sides are all set to announce the successful conclusion of FTA talks on January 27,” Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal told reporters on Monday (January 26, 2026). 

Also Read | India to slash tariffs on cars to 40% in trade deal with EU, sources say

Separately, sources in the Commerce Ministry said that negotiations were concluded on Friday (January 23, 2026) and the deal was approved by both sides on Saturday (January 24, 2026). They added that the final text would be readied once it was “scrubbed” by the legal teams of both sides. 

The deal is part of a number of other agreements, including a Security and Defence Partnership, energy cooperation and a mobility agreement expected to be signed during the EU-India summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on Tuesday (January 27, 2026).

The presence of the EU’s top leadership “underscores the growing strength of the India-European Union partnership and our commitment to shared values”, said Mr. Modi in a post outlooking the agreements.

On Monday (January 26, 2026), all the leaders attended the Republic Day parade, in which EU defence commanders took part for the first time, and EU Presidents were hosted at Rashtrapati Bhawan by President Droupadi Murmu. “A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure,” Ms. von der Leyen said in a post, adding that the world’s largest democracies Europe and India are committed to shaping “a new global order”.

The leaders witnessed the parade where India’s military hardware and marching contingents, particularly those involved in Operation Sindoor in May 2025 against Pakistan, were showcased. Significantly, much of the hardware that Ms. von der Leyen and Mr. Costa witnessed in the parade was Russian-made or designed and has been sanctioned under various EU sanction packages since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“An opportunity to recall the importance of the action of the EU Naval Forces to enhance maritime security and protect the freedom of navigation, in particular in the Indo Pacific,” Mr. Costa said on social media, steering clear of any contentious references to the war in Europe.

Also Read | India and EU are showing a fractured world another way to engage: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen

The EU-India FTA conclusion marks the end of a two-decades-old process, after talks were first launched in 2007. The talks have faltered on a number of occasions, particularly over seemingly irreconcilable issues like market access for “sensitive” European agricultural and dairy items, environmental regulations, investment and immigration. After a freeze on talks between 2014 and 2022, the talks were relaunched with more pragmatic goals, and both sides have reportedly agreed to set aside sectors where they failed to find common ground. Once the FTA is announced on Tuesday, officials will complete the legal scrubbing, and it will be sent to all 27 EU states after being translated, before it is ratified by the European Parliament.

With bilateral trade already crossing $136 billion, the sources also said that this would be “one of the biggest” bilateral deals in the world. Unlike ASEAN countries, the EU acts as a single customs bloc, they explained. The EU has FTAs with eight countries and has signed an FTA with the South American bloc MERCOSUR earlier this month. Both India and the EU are also expected to upgrade their strategic partnership, first concluded in 2004, and upgrade defence cooperation and military engagement in areas including maritime security, cyber security and counter-terrorism.

Ahead of the 30th edition of the climate talks scheduled in Belem, Brazil, in November, major emitters appear to be dithering on declaring updated climate goals. Only 29 out of 195 countries have so far submitted their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). These are voluntary targets, updated every five years by countries to regulate fossil fuel emissions. So far, all countries that are signatory to the United Nations climate convention have submitted NDCs detailing emission targets upto 2030.

The European Union, a bloc of 27 member nations, and historically the group that has been a leader in advocating that countries undertake ambitious cuts to fossil fuel production, is yet to evolve consensus among its member countries on what their NDCs should be.

EU members are set to vote this week on two climate agreements. One of them is an internal, legally binding commitment to reduce emissions — relative to 1990 — by 90% by 2040, and be on the path to carbon neutrality by 2050. The other is to agree on a 2035 target, to time with the NDC requirements of COP30 (30th Conference of Parties).

The Hindu has learnt from multiple sources familiar with the EU’s climate negotiations that there was “disagreement” among its member countries that were yet to be ironed out, with some major EU member countries, including France and Germany, preferring that a vote on the matter be postponed. They indicated, however, that the EU would announce its updated NDC before COP30 commences on November 10. The EU has a rotating presidency with Denmark, currently in charge and looking to evolve consensus among members for an ambitious climate agreement.

The Russia-Ukraine war, the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement, the Trump tarrifs, the growing prominence of right-wing political parties, and increased spending on defence budgets has been skimming “attention away” from climate goals.

This year — 10 years after the Paris Agreement — with Andre Lago, COP President and veteran Brazilian diplomat, saying that this would be an “implementation” COP rather than stressing on a headline-grabbing cover text to signal forward movement on ambition, new coalitions on a leadership role appear to be forming.

While the U.S.’s Democratic Party-led administrations have historically been an ally to the European Union’s climate goals, the turned political climate in the U.S. has seen the EU look elsewhere for support.

This July, the EU, and China, the latter being the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases to the EU’s fourth, released a joint statement on climate that the Paris Agreement was the “cornerstone of international climate cooperation,” and that they were “committed to…Submitting before COP30 their respective 2035 NDCs covering all economic sectors and all greenhouse gases and in alignment with the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement”.

The 2015 Paris Agreement, which 195 countries have ratified, requires countries to submit updated NDCs every five years to show the steps undertaken by them to keep average temperatures from rising, “as far as possible”, above 1.5C by the end of the century, and certainly below 2C.

Countries were expected to submit their NDCs in February but have an official deadline of the September 30, or during the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

This year, the updated NDCs of countries are expected to be a major theme at the COP in Brazil.

While China, along with India — the world’s third largest polluter — has consistently argued for its “right” to use fossil fuel for economic development, China’s profile as a supplier of critical minerals necessary in manufacturing batteries and photovoltaic cells meant that it could no longer “afford to be seen as not championing an accelerated shift away from fossil fuel”, a person familiar with the climate administration at the EU said.

The EU has said that it was on track and “closing in collectively” on a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over 1990 levels, as committed in the European Climate Law, and was reaching a share of at least 42.5% of renewable energy by 2030.

India too is yet to declare its updated NDC though it has said it is on track towards achieving it. This includes reducing its GDP emissions intensity by 45% over 1990 levels, ensuring half its electricity capacity is from non-fossil fuels, and creating a carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes by increasing forest cover.

U.S. President Donald Trump urged EU officials on Tuesday (September 9, 2025) to hit China with tariffs of up to 100% as part of a strategy to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a U.S. official and an EU diplomat.

Mr. Trump also encouraged the European Union to slap India with similarly expansive tariffs, said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.

China and India are major purchasers of Russian oil and, as such, they play a vital role in keeping Russia’s economy afloat as it continues to pursue its expanded invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.

Mr. Trump made the request, which was conveyed via conference call, to EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan and other EU officials. The EU delegation is currently in Washington to discuss sanctions coordination.

The EU diplomat said the U.S. had indicated it was willing to impose similar tariffs if the European Union heeded the U.S. request.

“They are basically saying: We’ll do this but you need to do it with us,” the diplomat said.

The U.S. request, if heeded, would result in a change of strategy for the EU, which has preferred to isolate Russia with sanctions rather than tariffs.

Mr. Trump, whose request was first reported by the Financial Times, has frequently threatened to impose tariffs on India and China as punishment for their purchases of Russian crude.

While Mr. Trump did hike tariffs on India over the summer by 25% points in part due to its economic relationship with the Kremlin, Mr. Trump has yet to pull the trigger on the more punishing options he has floated.

At times, he has complained that Europe itself has not fully decoupled from Russia, which supplied about 19% of EU gas imports last year although the bloc says it is committed to fully ending its dependency on Russian energy.

Later on Tuesday (September 9, 2025), Mr. Trump suggested that the U.S. could in fact boost trade with India, writing in an evening social media post that the U.S. and India are working to address trade barriers between the nations. He added that he was looking forward to speaking with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The GPS system of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s airplane was jammed while en route on Sunday to Bulgaria, an EU spokesperson said on Monday, adding that Russian interference was suspected.

“We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria. We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia,” the spokesperson said.

The Russian government did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The EU gave no further details, but the spokesperson said the incident would reinforce the bloc’s “unshakable commitment to ramp up defence capabilities and support for Ukraine” against Russia’s three-and-a-half-year-old invasion.

It did not address the question of whether the EU believed Ms. von der Leyen’s airplane had been deliberately targeted.

In a statement, Bulgaria’s government said the GPS signal was lost as Ms. von der Leyen’s plane approached the southern city of Plovdiv, prompting air traffic controllers to switch to ground-based navigation systems to ensure a safe landing.

It said Ms. von der Leyen had been travelling on a plane chartered by the European Commission.

Last year Estonia accused Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in airspace above the Baltic states. Finnair had to divert two flights back to Helsinki after GPS interference prevented their approach to Tartu in eastern Estonia.

EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on Monday the 27-nation bloc would increase its number of satellites in low orbit to enhance detection of interference.

GPS jamming uses a frequency transmitting device to block or interfere with radio communications, usually by broadcasting signals from the ground that are stronger than satellite-based signals.

When a system is jammed, it might have to be switched off for the duration of the flight, which can cause stress and delays for take-off and landing because certain procedures require GPS to function.

But major airports have a variety of navigation tools available if GPS isn’t working.

The incident with Ms. von der Leyen’s plane occurred while she was on a four-day tour of EU member states that border Russia, Belarus or the Black Sea.

“There she has seen first-hand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies,” the Commission spokesperson said.

“The EU will continue to invest in defence spending and in Europe’s readiness even more after this incident.”

The dollar gained against major currencies, including the euro and yen, on Monday (July 29, 2025), with sentiment lifted by a trade agreement between the U.S. and the EU, which brings market certainty and averts a global trade war.

U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Donald Trump reached a framework trade agreement, which provides for an import tariff of 15% on EU goods, half the rate Trump had threatened from August 1.

That follows last week’s U.S. agreement with Japan, while top U.S. and Chinese economic officials will resume talks in Stockholm on Monday, aiming to extend a truce by three months and keep sharply higher tariffs at bay. The dollar rose against the safe-haven Swiss franc, up 0.82% at 0.80155 francs. It rose against the Japanese yen , up 0.29% at 148.12.

The euro was last down 0.81% at $1.164275, set for its biggest daily loss since mid-May, reversing an initial knee-jerk rise in Asia trade as investors’ focus shifted to what an easing in global trade tensions meant for the dollar overall.

“While the USD’s strength today may reflect the perception that the new US-EU deal is lopsided in favor of the US, the USD’s strength may also reflect a feeling that the US is reengaging with the EU and with its major allies,” Thierry Wizman, global FX & rates strategist at Macquarie Group, said in an investor note.

“Rather than the ‘divorce’ between the U.S. and its partners that was seemingly foretold in February-June, the US and its key partners are instead in ‘marriage counselling’, and thus still ‘talking about their feelings.’” The dollar tumbled sharply earlier this year, particularly against the euro, as fears that dramatically higher tariffs on trade with most of its major partners would hurt the U.S. economy caused investors to consider shifting out of U.S. assets.

Normally, the gap between yields on government bonds is a major factor for currency moves, but at present the euro is significantly higher than the gap between U.S. and eurozone yields would imply.

“If you think about what we expected in the beginning of the year, no one really thought that the euro is going to be so strong. We all thought that, especially post Liberation Day, that the dollar will remain strong,” said Anthi Tsouvali, multi-asset strategist at UBS Wealth. “We continue to see the dollar weakening; it has consolidated recently a little bit but we think that in the long term it will get weaker.”

The euro fell against the yen and sterling, having hit a one-year high on the Japanese currency and a two-year high on the pound at the start of trade.

The dollar strengthens against the pound, which was 0.24% lower at $1.3422.

As concerns subside about the economic fallout from punishing tariffs, investor attention is shifting to corporate earnings and central bank meetings in the United States and Japan in the next few days.

Both the Fed and the Bank of Japan are expected to hold rates steady at policy meetings this week, but traders will watch subsequent comments to gauge the timing of the next moves.

Investors will also be watching to see Mr. Trump’s reaction to the Fed’s decision. The U.S. president has been putting the Fed under heavy pressure to make significant rate cuts, and Mr. Trump appeared close to trying to fire Powell last week, but backed off with a nod to the market disruption that would likely follow.

In addition, quarterly results are due in the coming days from Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook parent Meta Platform, four of the “Magnificent Seven” whose stocks heavily influence benchmark indexes.

They matter for currency investors if strong results cause an acceleration of flows back into U.S. assets.