European Union (EU) leaders are gathering in Brussels on Thursday for a special defense summit, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning that Europe is now at a ‘historic crossroads.’
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a suspension of financial aid to Ukraine. The leaders will discuss how to support Ukraine if U.S. assistance ceases. The agenda will also cover the re-supply of weapons to Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to the summit.
Following last week’s meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House, concerns have grown across Europe. Many European countries are worried about Trump’s favorable stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, especially three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
France’s President Macron stated that France is ready to discuss the protection of its nuclear arsenal with other European nations. Earlier, Germany’s incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz also called for discussions on sharing nuclear security.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, “Europe is clearly facing a threat unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetime.”
In a letter to European leaders, von der Leyen urged them to seize the moment and harness Europe’s industrial and productive power to ensure its security.
On Monday, von der Leyen unveiled an unprecedented proposal called ‘Rearm Europe’ to bolster Europe’s defense system. She announced plans for significantly increased defense spending to meet urgent and necessary targets.
Key Proposals of the ‘Rearm Europe’ Plan:
- Allowing countries to increase their national budget deficit limits to boost defense spending.
- Providing €150 billion in loans for air defense, military equipment supplies, and strengthening joint defense systems across Europe.
- Permitting the European Investment Bank to finance military projects, potentially enabling total defense spending of €800 billion.
Many European leaders support the swift implementation of this plan. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the proposal as a sign of fundamental change. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda added, “This summit will reveal whether Europe is just full of words or if it can make real decisions.”
However, opposition is expected from some European leaders sympathetic to Russia. Earlier this week, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized the EU’s “peace through strength” policy as unrealistic. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also suggested that Ukraine’s name should not be mentioned in any official documents from the summit.