EU talks funding Kyiv and how to boost industry

It’s another day of high-level talks across Belgium. First, the EU’s defense ministers meet in Brussels. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart dive into the Foreign Affairs Council hosted by the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas — with Ukraine’s new defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, also at the table. On the agenda: signing off on eight national plans under the EU’s flagship defense program, SAFE, and discussions around the €90 billion loan for Ukraine. Then we head to Antwerp for the European Industry Summit, where Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever meet industrial heavyweights to talk ideas for boosting Europe’s competitiveness. Plus, De Wever casts himself as a miracle-maker for the Brussels region as long-stalled coalition talks shift into a higher gear. And finally, Ian and Zoya share listeners’ tips on where to go for a drink as Irish pubs disappear from Brussels. Send us your go-to karaoke song for a night out — and sing it for us in a voice note. We might play some in a future episode. Messages can be anonymous. Our WhatsApp number is: +32 491 05 06 29 **A message from Amazon: Across Europe, businesses are growing with the AWS Cloud to build innovative, scalable products. From Europe’s largest enterprises and government agencies to the continent’s fastest growing startups, learn more about how AWS Cloud is helping businesses across Europe grow at AWS.eu.** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices