Don’t meddle in our elections, EU’s Metsola tells Trump’s MAGA warriors

Politico Europe · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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News In a wide-ranging interview, the European Parliament president backs “change” in Iran as Trump threatens war, but she doesn’t want U.S. “interference” in EU politics. Copy Link Copied Share via email Share on X Share on WhatsApp Share on LinkedIn Roberta Metsola's comments come as American diplomats put into action the new White House National Security Strategy. | Helmut Fohringer/APA/AFP via Getty Images February 26, 2026 12:25 pm CET LONDON — She’s not Donald Trump’s biggest foe in Europe — yet. But European Parliament President Roberta Metsola wants the White House to know its attempts to influence politics in Europe are not welcome. In an interview with POLITICO, Metsola said the European Union won’t express a preference on who should win the U.S. midterm elections in November. But U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in to endorse Viktor Orbán in Budapest this month, ahead of Hungary’s general election coming up in April. “This is a discussion that we [have with] our American counterparts a lot — just as we would not tell them what to do in November, you know, this would be sort of our ask in return,” Metsola said during a trip to London. “I would like our citizens in all countries of the European Union to be able to decide freely and fairly, in free and fair elections. That means that if we see external interference, or manipulation, or voter behavior, that we have the tools to combat that.” Metsola is uniquely qualified to comment, from her position at the very top of the EU’s institutional democracy — the house of 720 MEPs elected across 27 member countries. Her comments come as American diplomats put into action the new White House National Security Strategy, which includes a stated aim of tilting European politics in favor of MAGA priorities. In practice, that strategy will involve supporting “patriotic” parties, seen as aligned with Trump on migration and social values. To the dismay of many top U.S. officials, these parties are currently locked out of positions of power in the European Parliament as well as in some national capitals. In recent months, however, the so-called cordon sanitaire arrangement in which the parties of the far right are kept out of power has been creaking in the European Parliament. Metsola’s European People’s Party sided with far-right groups last year to pass measures aimed at cutting red tape. With a midterm reorganization of the Parliament due by early 2027, will the far right gain key positions such as chairs of committees? Metsola thinks it’s unlikely. “The cordon sanitaire is something for the groups to decide. You see how it works at the moment with the positions that are filled — and the groups will not change that, if you ask me,” she said. “There are fundamental questions — whether it is on Ukraine, on rule of law, on democracy and peace — that would create divisions and would not change.” She added: “I have been elected by the pro-European groups, and it is those pro-European majorities that are built from the center outwards [that have] been the most successful in the European Parliament, both in the previous mandate and in this one.” Metsola’s own role as Parliament president is also up for grabs at the end of the year. So far, she’s not saying if she will seek an unprecedented third term — “I have learned not to speculate.” But does that mean she’s ruling it out or likely to walk away? “No, because I’ve been given responsibility by my colleagues,” she said. Attacking Iran Metsola is proud of Parliament’s role, particularly in pushing for more sanctions against Iran. She has long been an outspoken supporter of Iranian dissidents and protesters, thousands of whom were killed in a regime crackdown earlier this year. Trump has promised to help the protesters, is sympathetic to the need to change the ayatollahs’ regime, and is building up a vast military force in the Middle East as negotiations continue. Does Metsola also want regime change, even if it means war? Her reply suggests she is not set against it. “Any solution that could be found for free and fair elections, Iranians being able to choose themselves who should lead them … is something we would welcome, and we would do anything to allow [that to] happen,” Metsola said. “Now, we would always prefer, if you ask me, a solution that is not military,” she added. “We would always prefer democratic solutions — that is also the ask of a lot of Iranians also on the ground — but what is clear is that Iranians want change.” Closer to home, the Parliament has signed off on the EU’s plan to send a €90 billion loan for weapons to Ukraine, but Hungary’s Orbán has thrown up a roadblock, undoing a deal EU leaders reached in December. Plenty of observers in Brussels suspect he’s doing so to win domestic support ahead of April’s Hungarian election. “My appeal would be to overcome the obstacle,” Metsola said. The loan was “a decision that was taken and therefore should be implemented … I won’t go into what’s happening in a national campaign scenario, but what I would hope is that we overcome it. If not, our credibility would be at stake.” Brexit bitterness is over Metsola spoke to POLITICO after 24 hours in London, during which she held talks with senior lawmakers, ministers and Prime Minister Keir Starmer to help deepen the U.K.-EU relationship, 10 years after the country voted for Brexit. She told an audience at the Chatham House think tank that Britain and the EU were in command of their own ships but should recognize when it is wiser “to sail in a convoy.” She told POLITICO that London and Brussels should return to negotiations on a deal on British defense companies’ participating in the EU’s €150 billion SAFE loans for weapons program, perhaps in a second round. The first talks broke up without a deal in a disagreement over how much money the U.K. would have to contribute. “I would like a successful negotiation,” Metsola said. Bringing the U.K. more closely into European defense is vital “not only to help Ukraine, but also to build Europe’s capacity at a time when the United States is reducing its investment in this continent,” she said. Metsola said there were “big expectations” for what will be achieved in the next EU-U.K. summit, due to take place before the summer. She said she discussed with Starmer closer military cooperation; U.K. defense companies’ access to EU loans for weapons programs; and the possibility of making the Erasmus+ exchange program permanent as part of the EU’s international negotiations on its budget. “Prime Minister Starmer not so long ago said that the U.K. of today is not the U.K. that voted for Brexit 10 years ago. And we could say the same from our end, that the EU that was voted on is not the EU that is today. And that means it’s, let’s say, a new, confident approach,” she said. “I left the meeting extremely happy.”