EU seeks Ukrainian grain for Egypt as part of Cairo support deal

EU seeks Ukrainian grain for Egypt as part of Cairo support deal

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Good morning. Israel is “expanding ground operations” in Gaza after a weekend of heavy bombing of the territory, provoking widening fissures inside the EU.

In Japan, the latest attempt to finally agree an EU-Australia trade deal, ending five years of negotiations, fell apart. 

Today, Laura reveals the link Brussels is trying to forge between Ukraine and Egypt to strike an agreement with Cairo, while my climate colleague uncovers the EU’s dirty fossil fuel secret behind its green proclamations.

Follow the grain

The EU is looking into the possibility of using shipments of grain or fertiliser from Ukraine as part of a wider deal on migration and economic support for Egypt, writes Laura Dubois.

Context: Brussels is negotiating an economic support deal with Egypt, as capitals worry the Israel-Hamas conflict could lead to a further increase in migration. EU countries have been keen to work with northern African countries to keep people from crossing the Mediterranean, as irregular arrivals have risen.

“Egypt is very open to a comprehensive partnership,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said following the EU summit on Friday where migration was discussed. She said the agreement would follow “a