Gavin Grey: Europe correspondent on leaders discussing impact of US election at summit in Hungary

European leaders are meeting in Hungary for the European Political Community Summit – with the US election likely top of the agenda.

Among the impacts of the election include Donald Trump’s lack of keenness to Europe, and talks of tariffs.

But UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Heather du Plessis-Allan the biggest concern is what he’ll do with donating to Ukraine, and whether Europe will need to step up even more.

Meanwhile, UK Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been suspended from the party after video emerged of him appearing to punch a man to the ground with a court date looming.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here the water hypocrite you art was in half an
hour ago that you were telling Barry not to get
all worked up about something that hadn't happened. And here
you are saying Trump is going to stop the Ukraine war.
Pot kettle black, you know that, Tony. Thank you. Trump
has said that he's going to stop the Ukraine war.
I happen to think that may be a good thing.
So I'm not getting worked up. I was getting worked
up at Jimmy Kimmel getting worked up. Actually, thanks very much, mate.

(00:21):
Pay attention thirteen away from seven Gavin Gray are UK
correspondences with me Elogevin.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Marney got a good afternoon.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'll tell you who might be getting worked up as
European leaders though.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hey, yes very much so. They are currently meeting in
Hungary and top of the agenda is going to be
exactly what Donald Trump's reelection is going to mean for them,
because last time he was in power, he wasn't particularly
keen on Europe, said they needed to pay their way more.
And of course all this talk of a trade tariff's

(00:53):
coming on is going to make life more and more difficult.
But I think the really thing that's bothering Europe is
going to be his stance on Ukraine. He's already said
he will end the war within a short time of
taking power, but he's not said how many think he's
going to either really turn the tap off on funding
to Ukraine, either completely off or really toned down that

(01:16):
financial aid, the military aid to Ukraine. And if that happens, well,
is Europe going to pick up the slack. There's certainly
talk of them doing that, but America has been the
largest single donor to Ukraine by far. The UK has
said it's going to continue supporting Ukraine, but in truth,
if Europe doesn't and doesn't do it to a large extent,

(01:38):
filling that gap that might be left, then many feel
Ukraine could be left out in the cold. So we're
going to have to wait to see to that. They're
going to have to put their money where their mouth is,
to use an old expression, I mean, and that is
something Europeans are slow to do.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
I absolutely, Gevin. And the amount of money that they're
pumped in is like sixty four billion US dollars right,
there's a huge amount of money for anybody else to play.
Tell me something, because I had a conversation with the
German about this recently and said, well, the most likely
outcome is that he basically forces Vladimir Zelenski, you know,
if it comes to this to super peace and give

(02:13):
up some land. And the Germans said to me, Europe
will be so devastated by that because it will bring
Russia closer and embolden them.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
What do you think, Yeah, it will. And also I
think it looks bad on the EU. They've made overtones
to Ukraine that Ukraine could perhaps one day join in
the not too distant future ex and then all of
a sudden they'll tell them back on them, owing to money.
And that's what this comes down to. And in the
past Europe has said all these wonderful words, and if

(02:40):
they're not not going to stand up and do that
and back them, I think it'll really show the Block
down a bit. And frankly, I think Donald Trump doesn't
expect them to fill the gap, and that too will
weaken the Block's reputation around the world, which I think
he would quite enjoy seeing. He thinks that Europe does
not pay its work. He does think many in European,

(03:02):
many European countries do not pay their way into NATO. Sufficiently,
and he says that frankly, he's fed up of the
US filling that gap.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Okay, now listen, I'm Bector, You're part of the world.
Why was this Labor MP punching the sky?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
A very good question. So this MP is from Cheshire
in the northwest of England and Mike Ainsbury is his name.
He's been suspended from the Labor Party, that's the party
of government at the moment. And we are now expecting
a court case because police are saying they've charged a
fifty five year old man and he is to appear

(03:38):
in court formally at a later date. There are reports
that he assaulted a forty five year old man in Frodsham,
which is a small village not far from Liverpool, and
that happened just after a quarter to three on Sunday morning,
the twenty sixth of October. There is video CCTV from

(03:59):
nearby shops as well, which show a man standing in
the road waiting for a taxi when another man strikes
him and he falls backwards strikes him by punching him. Now,
obviously this is are all allegations that it is my Gamesbury.
He has said that he's going to be looking at
this under court, but he volunteered to be interviewed under

(04:21):
a police caution after reports of an assault on the
main street at Froudham and Cheshire Police say they are
investigating that complaint and have sent it up to the
Crown Prosecution Service in for it to go to court.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Very interesting, hey, Gevin, thanks very much. Keep us posted
on that. That sounds fascinating. That's Kevin Gray, our UK correspondent.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
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