Share :

Download PDF :

Politico (3 March 2026)

Gerardo FORTUNA, Gabriel GAVIN, Max GRIERA and Zoya SHEFTALOVICH

The EU’s top leadership is responding in parallel rather than tandem — as the bloc scrambles to find a united front.

The EU’s response to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran has laid bare familiar divisions at the top, with two of its most senior officials on a collision course over who coordinates the bloc’s reaction to the crisis.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, as smoke rose over Tehran, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa raced to set the tone of the response with a joint statementcalling for “maximum restraint.” But they were beaten to it by the EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas — who had published a solo missive half an hour earlier saying she was exploring diplomatic solutions.

Click for more