EU Leaders Resume ‘Grumpy’ Summit on Budget, Virus Fund

(L-R) Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, European Council President Charles Michel, and French President Emmanuel Macron speak during a meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on July 18, 2020. Francisco Seco/Pool/AP Photo

BRUSSELS—European Union leaders were hunting for compromises Saturday as a summit to reach a deal on an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund entered its second day with tensions running high.

A full day and night of discussions by the 27 leaders on Friday only added to the irritations over how the huge sums should be spent and what strings should be attached.