Ursula von der Leyen under scrutiny over secret talks with EU leaders

Ursula von der Leyen is once again under scrutiny as the European Ombudsman has launched an investigation into secret negotiations between the European Commission President and leaders including Macron, Merz, and Zelenskyy. They reportedly created a private 'chat for their own' to coordinate positions ahead of talks with Trump. Journalists have been denied access to the correspondence. Under EU rules, such negotiations without formal mandate constitute a clear violation. Critics argue von der Leyen acts as if she is above the rules.