Eu Budget Fight: EU leaders in Brussels are starting the hard bargaining over the bloc’s nearly €2 trillion long-term budget (2028–2034), with “frugal” net payers pushing cuts and “Friends of Cohesion” countries (including Lithuania) warning agriculture and regional funding could be squeezed. Ukraine Support: At the 35th Ramstein-format Ukraine Defense Contact Group, allies pledged over $4bn, including about $1bn via PURL for Patriot air-defense needs, plus major drone and long-range artillery ammunition funding. Russia Peace Talks Tension: EU leaders are split on whether any contact with Moscow makes sense; Lithuania’s Nausėda says there are no positive signals for negotiations yet. EU-China Trade Measures: Leaders debated tougher steps to address the widening EU trade imbalance with China and rare-earth dependence, with diplomats calling for fairer terms. Lithuania Coalition & PM Switch: Three parties (LSDP, Farmers and Greens, Democrats “For Lithuania”) signed a new coalition deal, setting up a government reshuffle and a likely PM change to Mindaugas Sinkevicius. Lithuania–China Diplomacy: Lithuania agreed to let China open a downgraded chargé d’affaires office, paving the way for visa processing in China. Poland Security Case: Poland arrested a suspect in the killing of Russian Putin critic Semyon Skrepetsky, with officials investigating possible Russian involvement. Tesla FSD Scrutiny: Sweden urges the EU to reject Tesla supervised self-driving unless it can’t exceed legal speed limits, feeding a wider regulatory fight. Local Economy & Social Partnership: Lithuanian employers and unions criticized the government for refusing to back a wage and tax-free income deal, warning the Tripartite Council risks losing credibility.