Crisis summit
\nPresident Macron calls for defence spending surge to confront \u201cnew era\u201d
\n BRUSSELS
\nVolodymyr Zelensky thanked EU leaders Thursday for standing by Ukraine\u2019s side, as the bloc kicked off crisis talks on confronting US President Donald Trump\u2019s pivot away from Kyiv and its transatlantic partners.
\nThursday\u2019s summit brings all 27 EU leaders together for the first time since last week\u2019s explosive meeting between Trump and Zelensky. Since then, Washington has suspended the military aid and intelligence sharing that has helped Kyiv fight off Russia\u2019s invasion.
\n\u201cWe are very thankful that we are not alone. And these are not just words,\u201d the Ukrainian president told reporters as the talks kicked off, standing alongside EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa.
\nWith America\u2019s long-term commitment to Europe\u2019s security now in doubt, the bloc is under pressure to rise to the moment. Already this week, Germany\u2019s likely next leader pledged a historical U-turn on defence.
\n\u201cThis is a watershed moment for Europe,\u201d said von der Leyen, who has laid out a plan aimed at mobilising 800 billion euros to \u201cre-arm Europe\u201d faced with the threat from Russia.
\n\u201cEurope faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself,\u201d the commission chief told reporters.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s also watershed moment for Ukraine,\u201d she added. \u201cWe have to put Ukraine in a position to protect itself and to push for lasting and just peace.\u201d
\nLeaders are expected to give a green light Thursday to the commission\u2019s defence plans, based largely on freeing states to spend much more \u2014 something the bloc\u2019s two economic powerhouses look set to do.
\nIn a sombre national address on the summit\u2019s eve, France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron called for a defence spending surge to confront a \u201cnew era\u201d and said he would discuss extending France\u2019s nuclear deterrent to European partners.
\n\u201cWho can believe that this Russia of today will stop at Ukraine?\u201d Macron asked. \u201cI want to believe that the United States will stay by our side, but we have to be prepared for that not to be the case.\u201d
\nGermany\u2019s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz, who conferred with EU chiefs in Brussels ahead of the talks, has declared himself ready for \u201cthe worst-case scenario\u201d and embraced radical reforms to pump up German defence spending.
\n\u2018Coalition of the willing\u2019
\nZelensky\u2019s visit to Brussels comes as he scrambles to reengage Washington after the White House blow-up \u2014 declaring himself ready to work towards a peace deal under Trump\u2019s \u201cstrong leadership\u201d and to finalise an accord on US access to Ukrainian mineral resources.
\nBut Germany\u2019s outgoing leader Olaf Scholz reiterated European warnings against any \u201cdictated peace\u201d in Ukraine. A future settlement must guarantee Kyiv\u2019s \u201csovereignty and independence\u201d, he said.
\nTrump\u2019s outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the three-year war \u2014 sidelining both Kyiv and its European partners \u2014 has thrown Europe into crisis mode as it contemplates the possibility of a more lasting withdrawal of US security support.
\nIt has also helped draw Britain back into the European fold, five years after leaving the EU. Now Prime Minister Keir Starmer is working in tandem with Macron to rebuild bridges between Trump and Zelensky.
\nStarmer and other European leaders made a show of embracing Zelensky at weekend talks in London that brought in NATO\u2019s secretary general and non-EU partners such as Turkey. EU chiefs will be briefing the British leader on the Brussels talks Friday.
\nFrance and Britain have pitched a one-month truce \u201cin the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure\u201d and are calling for a \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d to help secure a future ceasefire. Turkey indicated Thursday it could play a part in peacekeeping efforts.
\nLeaders in Brussels are to start thrashing out more broadly what \u201csecurity guarantees\u201d the bloc might provide for a peace deal. That could include the deployment of European troops, something several states support, but which Russia reiterated Thursday it would not accept.
\nBut while Zelensky can expect strong signals of support, the meeting is unlikely to yield major new announcements of aid for Kyiv, beyond the 30 billion euros ($32 billion) the bloc has already committed for this year.
\nSeveral states argue Europe currently has enough money committed to meet Kyiv\u2019s needs \u2014 despite the US freeze on aid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Crisis summit President Macron calls for defence spending surge to confront \u201cnew era\u201d BRUSSELS Volodymyr Zelensky thanked EU leaders Thursday for standing by Ukraine\u2019s side, as the bloc kicked off crisis talks on confronting US President Donald Trump\u2019s pivot away from Kyiv and its transatlantic partners. Thursday\u2019s summit brings all 27 EU leaders together for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-465638","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n