From 1h agoMorning opening: UN security council to discuss UkraineJakub KrupaThe UN security council is meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine today in response to recent brutal Russian attacks on the country and joint nuclear weapons drills starting in Russia and Belarus.Firefighters work at the site of a private household hit during morning Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photograph: State Emergency Service Of Ukraine/ReutersThe meeting – called by Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, and the UK – is expected to cover the latest on the “peace and security” situation in Ukraine.It coincides with three days of nuclear weapons drills involving tens of thousands of troops across Russia and Belarus, AFP noted, and comes just hours before Vladimir Putin is expected in China for a two-day visit.Not very subtle.Elsewhere, I will keep an eye on the new Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar’s first foreign trip as he is expected in Poland today for a two-day visit, the EU negotiators who are finally finalising the implementation of the bloc’s trade deal with the US, and on the meeting of Nato military chiefs in Brussels.I will bring you all the key lines here.It’s Tuesday, 19 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.Good morning.Key events26m agoFormer Spanish prime minister Zapatero investigated in influence peddling case31m agoExpecting update on new Danish government this morning32m agoTrump envoy Landry gets cold welcome in Greenland1h agoMorning opening: UN security council to discuss UkraineShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureFormer Spanish prime minister Zapatero investigated in influence peddling caseMeanwhile, over in Spain, the country’s High Court said that the former Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is being investigated for alleged influence peddling and related crimes, Reuters reported.Former Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is seen taking part in a rally ahead the Andalusian elections on 17 May. Photograph: Jesús Mérida/SOPA Images/ShutterstockZapatero’s office in Madrid was being searched alongside three other premises, the court said in a statement, adding the former premier had been summoned to testify on 2 June.The investigation is part of the so-called Plus Ultra case, linked to a state rescue worth €53m in 2021 of the domestic airline Plus Ultra through state holding company SEPI during the Covid-19 pandemic, Reuters said.The bailout became politically controversial because critics said Plus Ultra was not clearly strategic, had weak finances and links to Venezuelan shareholders. The High Court is examining whether the aid was properly approved.Reuters notes that Zapatero is a key ally of current Socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez and the case piles more pressure on Sanchez, who is already dogged by a corruption investigation into alleged kickbacks involving key members of his inner circle, as well as probes involving his wife and his brother.Zapatero led Spain between 2004 and 2011, winning two absolute parliamentary majorities. AFP notes that this is the first time that a former Spanish prime minister has been placed under formal investigation since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.Expecting update on new Danish government this morningIt also looks like we are going to get an update on the Danish government formation process this morning, with the current “investigator”, Troels Lund Poulsen, hosting a press conference in the next half hour.I will let you know if we hear something new.Trump envoy Landry gets cold welcome in GreenlandI am also keeping an eye on Greenland, where the US envoy, Jeff Landry, is planning on attending a conference on the future of the territory today.For all the attention on his visit, so far the only scene that cut through involves him walking around and promising “chocolate chip cookies” to deeply unimpressed Greenlandic children, who also outright rejected his suggestion they take a picture together. The clips went viral globally since.Ouch.Or, as Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies somewhat poetically said, “it’s a bit difficult to become good friends with someone you have kicked in the balls first.”Greenlandic prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and foreign minister Múte B. Egede will speak at the conference later today.Morning opening: UN security council to discuss UkraineJakub KrupaThe UN security council is meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine today in response to recent brutal Russian attacks on the country and joint nuclear weapons drills starting in Russia and Belarus.Firefighters work at the site of a private household hit during morning Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photograph: State Emergency Service Of Ukraine/ReutersThe meeting – called by Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, and the UK – is expected to cover the latest on the “peace and security” situation in Ukraine.It coincides with three days of nuclear weapons drills involving tens of thousands of troops across Russia and Belarus, AFP noted, and comes just hours before Vladimir Putin is expected in China for a two-day visit.Not very subtle.Elsewhere, I will keep an eye on the new Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar’s first foreign trip as he is expected in Poland today for a two-day visit, the EU negotiators who are finally finalising the implementation of the bloc’s trade deal with the US, and on the meeting of Nato military chiefs in Brussels.I will bring you all the key lines here.It’s Tuesday, 19 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.Good morning.