European leaders on Thursday, the 6th of March, backed plans to spend more on defence and to continue supporting Ukraine in a world shaken by Donald Trump’s US policies. The emergency European Union (EU) defence summit in Brussels was held amid fears that Russia, emboldened by the war in Ukraine, may attack an EU country and that Europe can no longer rely on the US to come to its aid, report Reuters and Politico.
“Today we have shown that the EU is rising to the challenge of building a Europe of defence and standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine,” Antonio Costa, chairman of the meeting, told reporters.
EU leaders backed the European Commission’s plan to provide more flexibility in defence spending and to mobilise up to 150 billion euros in joint loans that EU governments could spend on their own military needs.
In a joint statement agreed by all 27 Member States, the leaders called on their ministers to urgently examine these proposals in detail.
“Europe must rise to this challenge, this arms race. And it must win,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a summit in Brussels.
“EUROPE AS A WHOLE IS TRULY CAPABLE OF WINNING ANY MILITARY, FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONFRONTATION WITH RUSSIA – WE ARE SIMPLY STRONGER,” SAID TUSK.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who told the French people on Wednesday that Russia is a threat to France and Europe, said this was only a first step.
“Whatever happens in Ukraine, we need to build autonomous defence capabilities in Europe,” he said after the EU summit.
Macron has said that France is ready to discuss the possibility of extending its nuclear defence to its European partners.
This received a cautiously positive reaction. Some, such as Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, said that such a “nuclear umbrella would serve as an indeed very serious deterrent against Russia”. Poland said the idea was worth discussing, while some, such as the Czechs, stressed that the US should remain engaged.
Trump has said that Europe must take more responsibility for its own security. On Thursday, he questioned his readiness to defend NATO allies, saying he would not do so if countries did not pay enough for their defence.
His decision to switch from strong US support for Ukraine to a more conciliatory stance towards Moscow has deeply alarmed Europeans, who see Russia as the biggest threat.
“We need to support Ukraine now more than ever,” said EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas ahead of the emergency summit.
BUT EUROPEAN LEADERS WERE NOT SO UNITED AND AFTER 10 HOURS OF TALKS, ALL THE LEADERS OFFERED UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY WAS A PROMISE TO CONTINUE ARMING UKRAINE WITHOUT CONCRETE PLANS.
This promise was made without the Hungarian President, Viktor Orban, a Trump ally who makes no secret of his support for Putin and who had already announced before the meeting that he was opposed to this statement.
Besides Hungary, 26 countries signed a statement on Ukraine, which not only pledged further military aid but also drew red lines for future peace talks and called on Kyiv to join the bloc.
“To achieve ‘peace through strength’, Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position, and an essential element of this is Ukraine’s own strong military and defence capabilities,” reads the statement signed by the 26 leaders. “The European Union remains committed to providing enhanced political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people, in cooperation with like-minded partners and allies.”
But decades of reliance on US protection, disagreements over funding and how French nuclear deterrence could be used to Europe’s advantage have shown how difficult it will be for the EU to fill the void left by Washington’s freeze on military aid to Ukraine.
According to NATO figures, Washington last year provided Ukraine with more than 40% of the military aid that Europe could not so easily replace.
EU countries have pledged more financial and military support to Ukraine than the US since Russia invaded three years ago. This support will continue to come in the months ahead, with around 30 billion euros of financial assistance expected in 2025 through loans secured by Russia’s frozen assets.
An EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, defended EU plans to increase military aid to Ukraine. Work on further arms packages will continue as part of a coalition of the willing, which could also include non-EU countries such as the UK.
Some leaders, at least publicly, remained hopeful that Washington could be persuaded to cooperate.
“We need to make sure, with a cool and wise head, that US support is guaranteed in the months and years to come, because Ukraine also depends on their support for its defence,” said outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
BNN already reported that European leaders have been developing a month-long ceasefire plan to be presented to the US and which has been endorsed by Zelenskyy, saying such a truce would be an opportunity to test Moscow’s will to end the three-year invasion. Moscow, for its part, has rejected the possibility of any temporary ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he will travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
“After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners. Ukraine is most interested in peace,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
Nevertheless, Zelenskyy on Thursday got some concrete pledges of support, just not from the EU. Norway pledged to increase its direct military aid to Ukraine to eight billion euros in 2025, more than doubling its previous commitment.