European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders met a delegation of Middle Eastern leaders, including Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, on the second day of an informal summit in Cyprus to discuss the Middle East.
At a working lunch with representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, von der Leyen called for peace with Iran, a deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, and the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz “without tolls.” She also said any peace deal should include Lebanon.
“A key lesson of the past weeks is that security is indivisible. You cannot have stability in the Middle East or the Gulf while Lebanon is in flames,” von der Leyen said, nodding at President Aoun. She urged respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and said a temporary pause was not enough — a permanent path to peace was needed, with continued EU support for the Lebanese people.
While not explicitly naming Israel, von der Leyen’s remarks implied that any lasting agreement would need to address the situation of troops deployed in southern Lebanon and restore full Lebanese control over its territory.
The host nation, Cyprus, which lies about 300 kilometres from Lebanon, has been directly affected by the conflict; an Iranian drone struck a British military base on the island soon after the war began in late February.
Iran — EU warns of danger of ‘weaker’ deal than JCPOA
Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said the war highlighted the risks of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and argued any settlement must also tackle Tehran’s ballistic missile program. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned talks to end the US-Israeli war with Iran risk producing a “weaker” agreement on Iran’s nuclear program than the 2015 JCPOA, unless nuclear experts are involved.
“If the talks are only about the nuclear [issue] and there are no nuclear experts around the table, then we will end up with an agreement that is weaker than the JCPOA was,” Kallas told reporters in Nicosia. The JCPOA took two years and hundreds of specialists to negotiate; the US left the deal in 2018. Kallas said negotiators must also address Iran’s missile programs, support for proxies, and hybrid and cyber activities in Europe, or risk a more dangerous Iran.
Strait of Hormuz, regional security and EU cooperation
Antonio Costa welcomed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire extension and called for the Strait of Hormuz to “immediately reopen, without restrictions and without tolling,” stressing its importance for the global economy. Iran has suggested charging passage fees through the strait as reparations for damages from US and Israeli strikes; the EU leaders rejected tolls and called for freedom of navigation under international law.
“Europe must do even more,” French President Emmanuel Macron said, urging a speedy restoration of stability so global economies can return to normal. Costa said the war has already had disastrous consequences for people, infrastructure and the global economy, and underscored how European security is linked to that of the Middle East.
Von der Leyen said the recent events showed Europe and Gulf states need deeper partnerships. “The events of the past months have taught us a hard truth. Our security is not just related, it is intrinsically linked,” she said, giving the example that a threat to a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz can threaten a factory in Belgium. She proposed moving beyond reactive crisis management, including expanding naval operations and exploring cooperation on defenses against drones and missiles.
EU budget debate
Leaders also debated the EU’s next budget for 2028–2034. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opposed increasing member-state contributions or taking on new debt. “Europe must make do with the money we have,” Merz said, adding that new priorities will require cuts in other areas.
The European Commission has proposed a larger budget of around €2 trillion to help repay debts incurred during the pandemic and to fund goals like competitiveness and defense, but financing those aims will be difficult while many member states face fiscal constraints.
Ukraine
On Thursday, EU leaders met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and approved a €90 billion loan for Kyiv, while adopting the 20th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Kaja Kallas said the bloc was already preparing a 21st sanctions package to signal to Moscow that the EU will not be outwaited and that support for Ukraine remains a priority.
Edited by: Sean Sinico, Dmytro Hubenko