Let’s go to Ashifa to hear the latest from the streets of Madrid. Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and newspaper El País report a meeting of the Spanish national security council was due to start at 3pm local time, as per government sources. Portuguese daily newspaper Público has reported that European Council president António Costa is in contact with Spanish and Portuguese prime ministers over the blackout affecting the Iberian peninsula, according to the paper’s European sources. Costa, a former Portuguese prime minister between 2015 and 2024, is on an official visit to Bulgaria today. We should hear from him in the coming hours, according to the Europe by Satellite service’s schedule. He is scheduled to take part in a press conference with Bulgarian prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. Multiple Spanish media are carrying quotes from a senior director at Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica saying it could take “between six and ten” hours to restore energy across the country, as he calls it an unprecedented incident. Eduardo Prieto, director of operations at Red Eléctrica, declined to comment on the causes of the outage. The European Commission has said it is in contact with national authorities in Spain and Portugal over the massive power outages. It is also in touch with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E). “The Commission is in contact with the national authorities of Spain and Portugal as well as ENTSO-E to understand the underlying cause and the impact of the situation. The Commission will keep monitoring the situation and make sure that there is smooth information exchange amongst all relevant parties. As per EU legislation in place (emergency and restoration network code), there are protocols in place to restore the functioning of the system.” I’m also picking up a lot of understandable concern as to the cause of the outage in your emails, but we are obviously steering clear of any speculation on this. We will bring you updates on this when we get it from official sources. I’m getting first emails from you on your experiences of the major power outage in Spain and Portugal. Jason emailed to say he is “stuck on a Renfe train from Seville about 30-40 miles southwest of Madrid near Toledo,” “stopped on a curve with no real way to be rescued should it come to that.” “We have no idea when we will be moving again and have little to no info as data is intermittent,” he adds. James writes in to say he just spoke with a friend in Lagos, Portugal, who reported “no power to the town or surrounding villages,” with schools closing and disrupted mobile coverage. Nuno is in Guimarães in Portugal and reports that “emergency shoppers crowd the few supermarkets with generators at lunchtime as parents pick students from closed schools.” Sebastian messaged me from Porto, Portugal, saying “everyone is walking around with nothing to do,” as he worries about problems with payments and shop supplies. “I am locked out of my apartment as the building has electronic key, que for cash (of the few ATMs working) are long with many people taking out significant sums,” he says. But he adds that the Portuguese are generally “very relaxed.” Some people affected indeed appear to be taking it easy (at least for now). John says that in Torremolinos, Spain “a jolly atmosphere reigns, at least for now,” with fervent and jokey speculations about the cause of the outage. He adds that the lack of cash caused some panic at the tobacco shop. (Another) James emailed to say his parents are in Nerja, near Málaga in Spain, on the Costa del Sol. He says the power cut is affecting their ability to pay in some shops and is disrupting supermarkets and restaurants. But he cheerfully adds: “Whilst the power cut is of course stressful, the sun is still shining and they’re enjoying a beer.” (And to confirm that, he even sent me the picture of the said drinks!) And here’s a useful chart showing the exact moment when the outage happened in Spain, using the data from grid operator Red Eléctrica. If you are in Spain or Portugal and affected by the blackouts, email me with your experiences and pictures on jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I mentioned earlier the situation of tennis fans after Madrid Open matches were postponed due to power failure affecting the Iberian Peninsula. Here is the exact moment of the power cut, during a post-match interview with Coco Gauff as the LED ad boards turn black, and the stadium PA system stops working. The Spanish government has just confirmed the prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s emergency trip to the national grid operator Red Eléctrica as officials work “to understand the origin" of the incident and what can be done to resolve it quickly. Here is the statement in full: The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has traveled to the control centre of Red Eléctrica, together with the third vice president of the Government and Minister for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, to see firsthand the situation generated in the electricity supply. The government is working to understand the origin and the impact of this incident and dedicating all resources towards solving it as soon as possible. We will convey all available information as we have rigourous and verified data. Our community affairs correspondent Ashifa Kassam is in Madrid, near the city’s main thoroughfare of Gran Via. She says thousands of people in – locals and tourists – are milling around between vehicles, wondering what to make of all this. Police officers are directing traffic as it’s in the heart of the city. Spanish newspaper El País is reporting plans for an crisis meeting of the Spanish government, to be attended by the country’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez, and finance, environment and transport ministers, to discuss “the worst power outage in recent history” of the country. Spanish news agency EFE earlier reported that Sánchez was planning to visit the headquarters of the national grid operator. Similarly, Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias is reporting that a special government meeting has also been called in Portugal. In Madrid, residents packed into outdoor terraces, others gathered around radios trying to figure out what’s happening. Radio announcers are advising people to ensure they have flashlights in their homes tonight as nobody knows how long this will go on. Spanish health ministry said in a social media update that it was in contact with regional authorities to “assess the scope of the widespread blackout,” but sought to reassure the public that “hospitals have supplementary systems” in place. Spanish airport operator Aena warned of disruptions on its social media account, saying that while contingency power operators are in use, “there may be issues” affecting ground operations. Air traffic monitoring service Flightradar reported issues in Spain and Portugal related to “widespread electrical outages affecting both countries.” “We’re not yet seeing widespread cancellations, but we are monitoring the situation as it develops,” they said. Elsewhere – there’s a lot of news happening today! – Russian president Vladimir Putin has declared a full ceasefire in Ukraine between 8 and 10 May as Russia celebrates the Victory Day over Nazi Germany, AP reported. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example. In the event of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Russian armed forces will give an adequate and effective response,” the Kremlin said, in a statement reported by AFP. But Russia has said it would ensure “an adequate and effective response” in case of ceasefire violations by Ukraine. On the streets of Madrid’s Arguelles neighbourhood neighbours milled around, trading stories of friends caught in different places, from the metro to traffic jams caused by downed traffic lights. One doorman told of helping an elderly lady trapped between floors in her elevator when the power went out, others rushed to the supermarket to stock up on basics — only to realise they had no cash on them, only cards that don’t work. Spanish electricity grid operator Red Eléctrica said in a social media update it was “beginning to recover power” in parts of the Iberian Peninsula, but it continued working on the outage. To give you an idea about the extent of power outages in Spain and Portugal, here’s a quick round up of reported consequences via their national media: Barcelona and Seville are among major Spanish cities affected, with Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid metro systems reportedly affected, and disruptions at Madrid’s Barajas Airport, which reports delays in flights (El Mundo, Barajas website). Spain’s national railway operator Renfe reported stopping trains as a result of the disruption. Widespread disruptions were reported in Portugal, affecting mobile networks, transport services, and airports, as well as traffic lights in Lisbon and Porto (El Pais, Publico). The exact extent of the outages and the number of people affected are not immediately clear. This is a developing story. The Vatican has now confirmed that the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis will begin on 7 May. We are hearing reports from Spain and Portugal about a major disruption to energy supply in the two countries. Electricity grid operator Red Eléctrica said it has activated plans to restore the supply, with “all resources dedicated to solving” the disruption. Portuguese media are reporting severe disruptions to telecoms and transport operations. This is a developing story; we will bring you more as soon as we can. Elsewhere, in his first visit to Denmark since becoming the Greenlandic PM, Jens-Frederik Nielsen announced over the weekend that Greenland is ready for a “strong partnership” with the US, but warned that Greenland will “never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought”. The press conference on Sunday – in which the Danish PM, Mette Frederiksen, took a more conciliatory tone than previously, conceding that the Danish kingdom needed to modernise – came amid a flurry of diplomacy between Denmark and Greenland. Today, Nielsen will visit the Danish King, Frederik, at Amalienborg palace in Copenhagen before flying together to Nuuk where they are due to arrive tonight. On Tuesday, the King will have a coffee meeting open to the public in Nuuk before later going on a hike and in the evening attending a Greenlandic government dinner. On Wednesday he will visit biology students at Sila before heading to the most northerly staffed station in Greenland with Danish defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen. On Thursday he will head out with the Sirius dog sled patrol, a unit of the Danish Special Forces Command. It comes after a tense few months between Copenhagen and Nuuk after Trump’s election to the White House during which he has made repeated threats to gain control of Greenland – a former Danish colony that remains part of the Danish kingdom – and sent his vice-president, JD Vance, to visit the US military base in Greenland, Pituffik, so soon after Greenland’s general election that the government’s new coalition had yet to be formally announced. Soon after, Frederiksen visited Nuuk for the first time in over a year during which she issued a message to Trump from an inspection ship, saying: “You cannot annex another country.” We are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source. We have not independently verified this report. The Sistine Chapel will be closed to the public from today “for the requirements of the Conclave,” the Vatican Museums said in a statement. The message welcomes visitors to the Vatican Museums’ website. It adds that all tours of the Vatican Gardens and the Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis are also suspended. The commission spokespeople got also asked about the brief conversation between Trump and commission president Ursula von der Leyen at Pope Francis’s funeral during which the pair reportedly agreed to meet at a later date. Pinho said there was “no date for the moment,” with only early “interest expressed,” as she added that “the right moment for it will be when there is a package to be agreed upon at the level of the two presidents.” Pressed further, she said “there are a number of issues on the table,” including tariffs," adding that there are “no further details.” “The funeral of Pope Francis was not the moment or the place to discuss … such details,” she said. At the European Commission’s midday press briefing, the chief spokesperson Paula Pinho has just been asked about the EU’s reaction to Donald Trump’s comments over the weekend after he met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral. She said: President Zelensky has been very much aligned with the EU position, and vice versa, we’ve been very much aligned with President Zelensky on the position with regard to peace and negotiations regarding a ceasefire agreement, where absolutely the position of Ukraine is the determining position. We’ve also heard, indeed, the comments by President Trump after these talks, and we welcome those comments that go in the sense of also acknowledging that the attacks of Russia on Ukraine, which, by the way, continued over the weekend, cannot be accepted. Adding to her comments, the commission’s spokesperson on foreign policy, Anita Hipper, said that “Russia’s deepening military cooperation with North Korea … sends a very clear message: Russia is not interested in peace; on the contrary, Russia’s goal remains to suppress Ukraine, and Russia is desperately seeking any help they can get to help with this illegal aggression.” She said it was a sign of Russia’s “desperation” to rely on North Korea, and stressed it showed “just … how isolated they are.” Twenty five people were arrested in police raids across France after a series of coordinated attacks on prisons rattled the government this month, a source close to the case said, AFP reported. The early morning arrests took place outside Paris as well as in Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux, the source told AFP. Unknown assailants this month hit several jails and other facilities across France, torching cars, spraying the entrance of one prison with automatic gunfire, and leaving mysterious inscriptions. The assaults have embarrassed the right-leaning government whose tough-talking Justice and Interior ministers, Gérald Darmanin and Bruno Retailleau, have vowed to intensify the fight against narcotics and drug-related crime. In other European developments over the weekend, the National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said he would be ready to step in as the French far-right’s presidential candidate in 2027 if Marine Le Pen is ultimately barred from running. Le Pen was handed a five-year public office ban after a court found her and some members of her party guilty in March of misappropriation of funds. The Paris appeals court has said it will deliver a verdict on her case by next summer, potentially allowing her to contest the 2027 presidential race if her conviction is overturned, which is seen as unlikely, or the ban on running for public office lifted. Speaking to the Le Parisien newspaper, he insisted that “Marine is presumed innocent and we will continue to use all possible means … to continue to proclaim our innocence in this matter.” But in quotes translated by AFP, he added: “There is no ambiguity about the fact that Marine Le Pen is my candidate, and if she was prevented tomorrow, I think I would be able to say to you that I will be the candidate. I cannot be clearer than that.” Meanwhile in the Vatican, cardinals are expected on Monday to pick a date for the conclave to elect a new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, after the death of Pope Francis, AFP said. Under the rules, a conclave should begin 15 and 20 days after a pope’s death or resignation, indicating an early May date, when the official period of mourning ends. There are more than 250 cardinals in total, but those over the age of 80 are ineligible to take part in the conclave. That leaves 135 eligible cardinals, most of them appointed by Pope Francis. Russia claimed it was ready to conduct talks with Ukraine ‘without any preconditions’, AFP said state media reported, after US president Donald Trump questioned Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s willingness to halt the three-year offensive. But then in other comments, reported almost simultaneously by AFP, the country’s most senior diplomat said that its claims over five Ukrainian regions including Crimea were “imperative” to talks aimed at resolving the conflict. “International recognition of Russia’s ownership of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Luhansk People’s Republic, the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is imperative,” foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told Brazilian newspaper O Globo, using the Kremlin’s names for the Ukrainian regions. In the interview, published online here, Lavrov also said the ball was “not in our court” as he tried to put pressure on Kyiv to make concessions in order to progress the talks. In good news for Kyiv elsewhere, Johann Wadephul, an experienced pro-Ukraine politician from the conservative CDU, will be Germany’s next foreign minister, the party said in a statement. Wadephul, 62, has long been a close confidant of incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz and a key adviser to him on foreign policy issues, AFP noted, adding that he is known for pushing for more weapons to support Ukraine. Wadephul will be the first German foreign minister from CDU since 1966. In other interesting appointments, Katherina Reiche is expected to get the economy portfolio, and Karsten Wildberger, CEO of MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, will lead the new digital ministry tasked with rapid digitisation of public services. But all of these appointments hinge on the CDU/CSU-SPD coalition deal being formally confirmed by SPD members. Their vote closes tomorrow, with the result expected on Wednesday. If all goes well, Merz should be formally elected new chancellor, replacing Olaf Scholz, in early May. US President Donald Trump has said he thinks Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to give up Crimea, despite his Ukrainian counterpart’s previous assertions on the Black Sea peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014. Not sure if Zelenskyy or Ukraine will agree with that suggestion. Speaking over the weekend, just days after the pair met at Pope Francis’s funeral in the Vatican, Trump said “Oh, I think so,” in response to a question on whether he thought Zelenskyy was ready to “give up” the territory. German defence minister Boris Pistorius on Sunday said the US proposal for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia was “akin to a capitulation”. In an interview with the broadcaster ARD, he said that Kyiv knew that a peace agreement may involve territorial concessions. “But these will certainly not go … as far as they do in the latest proposal from the US president,” Pistorius said. “Ukraine on its own could have got a year ago what was included in that [Trump] proposal, it is akin to a capitulation. I cannot discern any added value.” Despite the comments on Crimea, the US president expressed newfound sympathy for his Ukrainian counterpart on Sunday, saying he “wants to do something good for his country” and “is working hard”. Asked what he wants Putin to do, Trump replied: “Well, I want him to stop shooting. Sit down and sign the deal. We have the confines of a deal, I believe, and I want him to sign it and be done with it.” “Do you trust President Putin?” Trump was asked. “I’ll let you know in about two weeks,” Trump said. Just this morning, Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the “feat” of Pyongyang’s troops in helping wrest back the area held by Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region, AFP reported. “The Korean friends acted, guided by the sentiments of solidarity, justice and real camaraderie,” the Kremlin cited Putin as saying. Let’s see what updates we’re going to get during the day. We are also expecting updates on the new government formation process in Germany, a Danish royal visit to Greenland, and potential updates on the timeline for the process to pick Pope Francis’s successor. It’s Monday, 28 April 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.
Author: Jakub Krupa