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By JAKOB HANKE VELA
with ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH
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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken touched down in Kyiv in the early hours of this morning, seeking to reassure Ukraine of America’s support as it faces down a reinvigorated Russian offensive.
On the agenda: The State Department said Blinken would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials “to discuss battlefield updates, the impact of new U.S. security and economic assistance, long-term security and other commitments, and ongoing work to bolster Ukraine’s economic recovery.”
TODAY: GEORGIA’S MAKE-OR-BREAK MOMENT 
CRUNCH TIME FOR CONTROVERSIAL LAW: Georgian lawmakers are today expected to push through the Russian-style “foreign agents” law that prompted the biggest wave of protests in the country since its independence from the Soviet Union. EU governments are scrambling to prepare a collective response, but Hungary was obstructing agreement on a joint statement condemning the law, according to Playbook’s sources.
What’s at stake: The law is seen as an attempt by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which was founded by a pro-Russian billionaire, to sabotage the country’s path to joining the EU. About 80 percent of Georgians are in favor of EU accession, and huge numbers of them have taken to the streets of Tbilisi in recent weeks to voice their opposition to the legislation.
The government “has lost the confidence of the people,” said Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s independent president, in support of the peaceful protests. “It’s very funny when politicians pretend to be able to count with high IQs and they can’t count how many people there were” out on the streets.
Rubber-stamped: Despite the widespread public opposition, lawmakers in Georgia’s parliament rushed through a procedural step on Monday. It took just 67 seconds for the bill to be reviewed and approved by the parliament’s legal committee, allowing it to move on today to the full assembly, which is controlled by Georgian Dream.
What about the presidential veto? Zourabichvili has said she will veto the law — but parliament can override that with a simple majority.
Brussels rushes to react: EU governments were coordinating a joint response last night, diplomats told Playbook. But Hungary, aided by Slovakia, opposed a joint EU statement condemning the law, according to people involved in the discussions.
Orbán strikes again: Diplomats were clambering for an agreement, hoping that weakening the phrasing of the statement might persuade Hungary to back it. But the sources said it was more likely that a statement would come from foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell (which does not require unanimity) than from the EU27.
Better late than never: According to a letter obtained by Playbook, a dozen EU foreign affairs ministers urged Borrell on Friday to “send an unequivocal message to Tbilisi that this legislation is incompatible with Georgia’s progress on its EU path” via an “oral update” on Georgia’s EU accession.
“We kindly ask you to undertake this as a matter of priority and to make sure that this public assessment appears before the final vote at the Georgian parliament,” said the letter, which was signed by the foreign affairs ministers of Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
“It’s clearly too late for that now,” said one diplomat of the request, “but at least we should be prepared to react quickly after the vote.”
Call for sanctions: In the European Parliament, MEPs representing the EPP, S&D, Greens and Renew have written to Borrell urging him to prepare “targeted” sanctions against Georgian Dream politicians who pushed the foreign agents law — including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze — and the MPs who vote for it.
What’s next: Young Georgians have vowed to keep defying their increasingly violent government with mass protests and strikes.
ROAD TO EU ELECTION
VDL ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL — CHAOS IN ROME: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her capacity as the European People’s Party’s lead candidate, is campaigning in Copenhagen today, in what her team is hoping will be a better organized trip than one to Rome on Monday.
Italian shambles: Usually, von der Leyen is invited on these trips by the national political parties that belong to her EPP grouping, and they organize and plan campaign events. But in Italy? First there was no plan, and when there was one it kept changing, our colleague Barbara Moens reports from Rome.
Blame Italy’s febrile politics: The conservative Forza Italia party, led by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (who is also the EPP vice president), seemed unsure up until the last minute whether standing alongside von der Leyen was an asset or liability in the current Italian political climate.
Forza Italia — along with far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — has been accused by the Euroskeptic League leader Matteo Salvini of being too close to the Commission president. And there have been tensions within the party about how closely to align with von der Leyen before the European election, with Senator Licia Ronzulli describing her as a “lame horse.”
Hiding in Rome: Von der Leyen was not at Forza Italia’s European election launch event on Monday evening. She canceled a planned discussion with students at Luiss University at the last minute because Tajani had set up closed-door meetings to discuss the EU’s agricultural policy. And as a parting gift to his guest, Tajani lashed out at von der Leyen’s Green Deal policies during an event with Forza Italia’s youth movement.
All roads may lead to Rome, but the EPP’s top brass might want to avoid the city in the foreseeable future.
NEXT STOP, COPENHAGEN: Today, von der Leyen will join around 700 participants from 90 countries at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which kicks off in the Danish capital. She will deliver a speech on “a strong Europe in the world,” as my colleague Suzanne Lynch reports in this morning’s Global Playbook, and do some campaigning while she’s in town.
Forced smiles all round: Von der Leyen’s late addition to the speaking schedule was no doubt welcomed particularly enthusiastically by European Council President Charles Michel, who is also among the summit’s headliners but now risks being upstaged by his ubiquitous rival.
UKRAINE IN FOCUS AT COPENHAGEN SUMMIT
DEMOCRACIES MEET: A central theme of this year’s Copenhagen summit will be the war in Ukraine, with Andriy Yermak, head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, due to attend, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov addressing the forum remotely. Others who will be at the forum are Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Commissioner Věra Jourová and former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will also deliver virtual addresses.
New blueprint for Ukraine: As Suzanne reports from Copenhagen this morning, Yermak and former NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, founder of the Alliance of Democracies, will today unveil the latest report from the International Taskforce on Ukraine’s Security and Euro-Atlantic Integration. It will recommend that NATO allies extend an invitation to Ukraine to start accession talks at their summit in July.
If not now, when? In an interview with Global Playbook, Rasmussen dismissed the idea that NATO can’t start membership negotiations with a country at war. “If you argue that you cannot extend an invitation to Ukraine as long as a war is going on, then you give Putin an incentive to continue the war, to prevent Ukraine joining NATO,” he said. “We have to break that vicious circle.”
Call to Berlin: Rasmussen urged Germany to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine as soon as possible. “I don’t see one single argument against that delivery,” he said. “All the more because recently it was revealed that the Americans have delivered the ATACM missiles … The Taurus missiles are equally potent weapons, particularly if they are combined with the F-16 fighter jets that will soon be delivered to Ukraine.”
NOW READ THIS: Vladimir Putin’s surprise reshuffle on Sunday put the vital defense portfolio in the hands of a Keynesian economist who hasn’t served a day in the military. My colleague Eva Hartog examines how Andrei Belousov rose to become one of the Kremlin’s top officials and what his background tells us about how Putin intends to win the war in Ukraine.
ICYMI — HUNGARY FOR PUTIN’S GAS: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could kill the EU’s effort to squeeze Moscow’s gas revenue, report my colleagues Gabriel Gavin, Victor Jack and Camille Gijs.
MOLDOVA’S MOSCOW SNUB: Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova is stepping up defense cooperation with the EU, in a move that is likely to antagonize Russia, the Financial Times reports. The paper says it has seen an EU proposal set to be agreed next week under which Moldova would increase intelligence sharing, carry out joint military exercises and be included in the bloc’s joint weapons procurement.
** What's next after the EU election? From coalition-building to policy implications, POLITICO Live will cover it all at the 2024 EU election hangover brunch on June 10. Reserve your spot now!**
ISRAEL-GAZA
GAZA LATEST — DOUBTS ABOUT ISRAEL’S END GAME: A top U.S. official said the Biden administration doesn’t believe Israel’s current strategy against Hamas will lead to “total victory” against the militant group, my POLITICO colleagues in Washington report.
CNN reports U.S. officials have concluded that Israel has amassed enough troops on the edge of Rafah to move forward with a “full-scale incursion” into Gaza’s southernmost city in the coming days, although the unnamed officials were less sure of whether it intends to proceed in defiance of its closest ally.
While they wait for Israel’s next move: Misery deepens in Gaza. Around 360,000 refugees have fled Rafah in the past week, the U.N. said, and food hasn’t been able to enter the two main border crossings in the south, putting more than 1 million people at risk of catastrophic hunger.
Meanwhile, in Europe the conflict continues to reverberate explosively: On Monday, administrators at the University of Amsterdam announced they were canceling classes and closing buildings for two days after a series of clashes between riot police and pro-Palestine demonstrators.
IN OTHER NEWS
OUT OF THE CLOSET … BUT STILL FIGHTING PREJUDICE AND VIOLENCE: Half of LGBTIQ+ people living in Europe are open about it — more than ever before — but most still avoid holding hands in public out of fear of hate and violent attacks, according to a new report by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.
Harassment, bullying and mental health concerns: The report, which drew on more than 100,000 respondents in 30 European countries — making it one of the biggest surveys globally on hate crimes and discrimination against LGBTIQ people — found that more than half of gay, lesbian, trans* or non-binary people were victims of hate-motivated harassment, up from one in three in 2019. More than two-thirds said they were bullied at school. And around a third said they have considered suicide.
UPDATE — EUROVISION EU FLAG BAN: After telling Playbook on Monday that he would demand an explanation for the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to bar EU flags from the Eurovision final, Commission VP Margaritis Schinas has written to the EBU’s President Delphine Ernotte Cunci and Eurovision supervisor Martin Österdahl.
Strong words: “The incoherence in the EBU’s stance has left myself and many millions of your viewers wondering for what and for whom the Eurovision Song Contest stands,” Schinas said in the letter, obtained by Playbook.
Heads could roll: “I would request that you explain the rationale behind this decision and attribute responsibility where it is due,” Schinas said. “I for one would expect to see the values of peace, tolerance and inclusiveness afforded greater deference in the future.”
And that’s not all: The EBU is facing another controversy after excluding the far right from a debate in the European Parliament next week due to disagreement over how the EU should nominate the Commission president, reports Eddy Wax.
NOW READ THIS: Jan Jambon, the minister-president of the government of Flanders, has an opinion piece out on POLITICO this morning. He writes: “In the last three decades, we’ve enjoyed the luxury of not having to ask ourselves what it is we stand for. But those times have passed.”
MIGRATION AND ASYLUM PACT TO PASS LAST HURDLE: At today’s meeting of finance ministers, a qualified majority of the 27 governments is set to give the final nod to the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum. The laws would represent an overhaul of the EU’s rules for migrants and refugees, with more burden-sharing between EU countries and stricter rules to register and process migrants at the border. MEPs already backed the package in a set of plenary votes.
AGENDA
— Economic and Financial Affairs Council. Press conference at 3 p.m. Watch.
— Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council continues. Arrivals from 7:30 a.m. … joint doorstep by Minister-President of the Flemish Government Jan Jambon and Flemish Minister for Youth and Media Benjamin Dalle at 9:30 a.m. … press conference (culture) at 1:10 p.m. … press conference (sport) at 6 p.m. Full agenda. Watch.
— Copenhagen Democracy Summit. Watch all the livestreamed panels here … Full agenda. Sign up to Global Playbook for daily dispatches.
— High Representative Josep Borrell is in California; gives a keynote speech at the Europe Day Reception event, hosted by the San Francisco office of the EU delegation to the U.S. … visits the technology company Waymo … meets Waymo’s Global Head of Policy Michelle Peacock.
— Event on cancer survivorship, “Advancing the right to be forgotten”; opening remarks by Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides at 10 a.m. … concluding remarks by Financial Services Commissioner Mairead McGuinness at 2:45 p.m. Full agenda. Watch.
— European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and European Economic and Social Committee President Oliver Röpke will sign the new cooperation agreement between the EP and the EESC at 11:30 a.m.
— Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager meets Italian Economy and Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti.
— Commission Executive Vice President Maroš Šefčovič is in Paris, France; participates in the summit on clean cooking in Africa organized by the International Energy Agency.
— Commission Vice President Věra Jourová speaks at the European Digital Media Observatory annual conference.
— Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi continues his visit to Serbia; meets Prime Minister Miloš Vučević … meets with key members of the new government, including the ministers of European integration, finance, mining and energy, construction and transport.
— Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni participates in the economic and financial dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans partners, Turkey, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
**What role can non-banks play in the European Commission's CMU push? On Wednesday, June 19, EU policymakers and financial experts will join POLITICO Live for a timely panel discussion and networking reception. Apply today to attend onsite!**
BRUSSELS CORNER
WEATHER: High of 24C, sunny in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon.
HOW EUROPE’S YOUNG INTEND TO VOTE: Sixty-four percent of people under 30 plan to vote in the European election in June, according to a new Eurobarometer survey. And just over two-thirds said the EU has had an impact on their daily life. The survey quizzed people between the ages of 15 and 30 in all 27 EU member countries. Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said the result “gives cause for hope” in the future of European democracy.
TRAVEL TO AMSTERDAM QUICKER: The Dutch and Belgian railways will begin running a faster train service between Brussels and Amsterdam later this year, cutting more than 40 minutes from the journey time.
SOCIAL ELECTIONS: Around 2 million Belgian workers will have the opportunity to appoint trade union representatives in their workplace, until May 26.
RUSSIAN EMBASSY SECURITY: A heightened federal police presence at the Russian Embassy in Brussels is costing taxpayers around €260,000 a month, Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said in response to a parliamentary question, according to De Standaard. Overall, more than €6 million has been spent on round-the-clock security at the embassy since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago. Belgian police also have a permanent security presence at the Israeli and U.S. embassies, at a cost of about €275,000 per month for each.
UNIVERSITY PROTESTS SPREAD: Protesters occupying a central building at the University of Ghent in opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza since last week have now been joined by academics and staff members, and occupations have also begun at KU Leuven, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the University of Antwerp.
CHATBOX FESTIVAL: A series of events designed to promote social engagement in Brussels for under 20s will be held at RESET Bruxelles and Cirque Royal this weekend, with sessions dedicated to K-pop, breakdancing, screen printing and young human rights activists.
NEW OLD TOY MUSEUM: A retired computer scientist has opened a museum in Jambes, near Namur, showcasing around 2,500 antique toys that he spent decades collecting. The Musée du Jouet Ancien is open Sunday afternoons.
BIRTHDAYS: MEP Frédérique Ries; Former MEPs Elmar Brok, Pierfrancesco Majorino, Jana Žitňanská, John Longworth and Bodil Valero; U.K.’s former Defense Secretary Michael Fallon; European Commission’s Pearse O’Donohue and Florina Telea; Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg; Portuguese diplomat David Oppenheimer.
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