Europe is able to beat Russia in any form of conflict and will beat Vladimir Putin in his new weapon race, the Poland Prime Minister reassured Volodymyr Zensky while EU leaders gathered to meet the Ukrainian president for 'basin' conversations in Bussels.
“Europe as a whole is really able to win every military, financial, economic confrontation with Russia – we are just stronger,” said Donald Tusk prior to the top. “We just had to start to believe in it. And today it seems to happen. '
The Polish leader warned that Vladimir Putin had started 'a new arms race' that Europe has left no other choice than to prepare for war.
“Europe must be ready for this race, and Russia will lose it 40 years ago as the Soviet Union,” he wrote on X. “From today, Europe will arm itself wisely and faster than Russia.”
His comments when EU leaders came a day of crisis discussions in an attempt to strengthen their own safety and to strengthen the defense of Ukraine, because the Allies have the prospect of being drifted by American President Donald Trump.
Zensky has pronounced his gratitude to EU leaders for standing at Kyiv's side, with today Summit less than a week after he attended an explosive meeting with Trump in the White House.
He received warm welcomes from most leaders during the Brussels meeting – a stark contrast with the verbal that the Ukrainian president of Trump received.
“I want to thank all our European leaders,” said Zensky. 'Strong support from the very beginning of the war. During all this period and last week you stayed with us. '
Since the Oval Office confrontation, Washington has suspended military aid and sharing information that Kiev helped to combat Russian invasion – a decision that Ukrainian officers say it will lead to thousands of more kill.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zensky (L) meets French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the special European Council to discuss continuous support for Ukraine
EU council chairman Antonio Costa, the Ukrainian President Volodyymyr Zensky and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen talk to the press when they arrive at a European Council meeting in Brussels
Russian President Vladimir Putin lives on 5 March to a cabinet meeting in Moscow
A Ukrainian savior is working on extinguishing a fire in a building after a Russian attack at an unknown location in the Odesa region
Today's emergency interviews involving members of the 27-country block come from the fear that the Trump government will make enormous concessions to Russia and Ukraine from negotiations to end the war.
Friedrich Merz, the likely next Chancellor of Germany, and chairman of the top Antonio Costa discussed during breakfast in Breaksels in Brussels manners to strengthen the defenses of Europe on a short deadline.
This week Merz has pushed plans to loosen the rules of the nation for incurring debts to enable higher defense issues.
In the meantime, the EU woke up with the news that French President Emmanuel Macron would consult the EU leaders about the possibility of using the nuclear deterrent of France to protect the continent against Russian threats.
It all underlined the sea change that took place in the two months since Trump took on and immediately began to increase the cornerstones of cooperation between the United States and Europe that had been the foundation of Western safety since the Second World War.
'Spend, spend, spend on defense and deterrence. That's. The most important message, “said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
The call is a sharp deviation from decades of deterioration of military editions in Europe, where the defense often came in many budgetary considerations.
The block will “take decisive steps forward,” Macron told the French nation on Wednesday evening.
“The Member States will be able to increase their military expenses” and “massive joint financing will be provided to buy and produce some of the most innovative ammunition, tanks, weapons and equipment in Europe,” he said.
He added that “the future of Europe does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow.”
Zensky desperately tries to repair the relationships with Mr Trump after their extraordinary bust of the White House (photo)
President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission has proposed a plan to release the budget rules, so that countries that are willing can spend much more on defense. Her proposal is supported by 150 billion euros ($ 162 billion) in loans to buy priority military equipment.
Most increased defense expenditure should come from national budgets at a time when many countries are already overloaded with debts.
Part of Von der Leyen's plan includes measures to ensure that wrestling member states are not punished because they go too deep in red if the expenditures are reserved for defense.
“Europe is confronted with a clear and present danger, and that is why Europe must be able to protect itself to defend itself,” she said.
France is struggling to reduce an excessive annual budget deficit of 5 percent of GDP, after he had risen his total debt tax to 112 percent of GDP with expenditure for companies and consumers during the COVID-19 Pandemie and the energy crisis that followed the infringement of the Russian infringement of Ukrainians.
A view from the damaged site after the Russian rocket attack on Kryvyi Rih
A fire burns in a destroyed building after a Russian rocket attack, amidst Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine March 5, 2025
Five other countries that use the Euro currency have debt levels of more than 100% of GDP: Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
The largest economy in Europe, Germany, has more room to borrow, with a debt level of 62 percent of GDP.
Part of each security plan is also to protect the increasingly besieged position of Ukraine.
A Russian rocket killed four people who stay in a hotel in the hometown of Zenskyy at night.
He said that the volunteers of a humanitarian organization the hotel in Kryvyi Rih, in Central Ukraine, had moved just before the strike.
The volunteers include Ukrainian, American and British subjects, but it was not clear whether those people were among the 31 injured.
At the beginning of this week, Trump ordered a break at the American military supplies to Ukraine while trying to press Zenskyy to enter into negotiations to end the war with Russia, so that new urgency was brought to the top of Thursday.
Thursday's meeting is unlikely that he will satisfy Ukraine in the most urgent needs. It is not aimed at drum more poor and ammunition to fill every supply vacuum created by the US Freeze. Nor will all countries agree to unblock the estimated 183 billion euros ($ 196 billion) in frozen Russian assets in a Belgian public house, a pot of ready cash that could be seized.
Nevertheless, Europeans underline the importance of the moment.
'This is a turning point for Europe and Ukraine as part of our European family. It is also a turning point for Ukraine, “said Von der Leyen, while she stood next to Zekskyy before she walked to the top together.
But perhaps the biggest challenge for the EU will take a united position at a time when it is broken, because many of the actions of the block requires unanimous support. Hungary threatens to perform a veto about a part of the top statement about Ukraine, just like Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
“We have to make decisions, regardless of the one or two that are against every time,” said Lithuanian President Gitanas Naudera. “Otherwise history will punish us and we will pay very high costs.”
Thursday's top will probably not make immediate decisions about spending on Ukraine or his own defense.
Another EU summit where the real contours of decisions would be much clearer was set on 20-21 March.
