Crucial EU leaders' summit on Ukraine has started - with a delay

After agricultural negotiations delayed proceedings, today's EU leaders' summit has begun, officials confirmed, UNN reports, citing Politico.

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Frustration among EU leaders grew on Thursday morning after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa spent time meeting with the farmers' association Copa-Cogeca, leaving heads of state and government waiting for about an hour, the publication writes.

"This is disrespectful. Given today's agenda, it's simply absurd," a European official told the publication amid the delayed start of the summit.

The meeting with farmers followed their "tractor ride on Brussels' main roads," "honking and making noise just after 7 a.m." local time, protesting against EU agricultural policy. Around 10,000 farmers from all 27 EU countries were expected to converge on the European Quarter today, and the Copa-Cogeca farmers' lobby said these would be the largest farmer protests Brussels has seen this century.

Meanwhile, the summit is expected to run late, or even longer, as EU leaders discuss funding for Ukraine, defense readiness, and, despite not being on the agenda, the controversial trade deal with Mercosur countries.

Also, before the summit this morning, Ireland hosted a breakfast with the so-called "Northern Nine" countries, a loose alliance of northern-Baltic nations.

"As always, Dublin took the opportunity to share traditional dishes with the delegations - and today it's mince pies from Avoca in Wicklow. These delicious treats were personally brought by Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin," the publication writes.

With the summit underway, EU leaders officially began a discussion that Ursula von der Leyen predicted would be "intense."

The publication provides four key takeaways from the leaders' morning comments:

• finding common ground on the reparations loan will be a difficult task. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever still had not dropped his reservations about the plan minutes before heading behind closed doors to discuss it;
• "either unanimity or failure." Either all countries, including Belgium, will agree to use Russian assets to finance the loan to Ukraine, or it will not happen, according to EU's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas, who said that other EU member states have made it clear that they will only support the plan if Belgium does;
• regardless of what happens with the assets, an agreement will be reached today to provide Ukraine with money, one way or another, leaders insist. Von der Leyen, Costa, and others have promised that this summit will not end without a plan to support Ukraine for the next two years. (A "plan B," which is not very popular, could involve using joint EU borrowing);
• despite the Mercosur agreement not being officially on the agenda, it may be considered today. France and Italy want to postpone the vote on approving the creation of a giant free trade area with South American countries. But von der Leyen, who is due to travel to Brazil in a few days to sign the agreement, said it was "extremely important that we get the green light."

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