European Leaders Gather in Brussels for Special Defence Meeting
This Thursday, leaders from across Europe will meet in Brussels for a special council on defence. The meeting comes as France’s President Emmanuel Macron warned that the continent is at a “turning point of history”.
The leaders are expected to discuss ways in which the EU can support Ukraine after US President Donald Trump announced he would suspend aid to the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to attend.
European officials are treating this summit as a priority, with many expressing concern that the continent’s security is at risk due to the US’s changing stance on Ukraine. This comes three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Leaders such as European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa have expressed their concerns about Europe’s security. Von der Leyen described the situation as a “clear and present danger” that none of them had seen in their lifetime.
In response, the EU has proposed a defence package called ReArm Europe. This plan aims to increase national deficit levels, provide €150bn in loans for defence investment, and allow countries to redirect funds from cohesion policy programmes to defence spending.
The European Investment Bank would also be allowed to finance military projects under this plan. Von der Leyen believes that this could free up a total of €800bn in defence expenditure.
Many European leaders have expressed their support for swift action on the continent’s security, but dissent is expected from some leaders who are sympathetic to Moscow. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has demanded that Ukraine not be mentioned in any written conclusions following the summit.
Despite this, Macron has invited Orban to dinner in Paris ahead of the summit, in a bid to try and achieve unity among European leaders.