Leaders of the European Union are planning to keep emergency interviews on Thursday to find out how they can quickly increase their military budgets after the Donald Trump government has indicated that Europe should provide its own safety and also suspend help to Ukraine.
In just over a month, President Donald Trump has destroyed old certainties about American reliability as a security partner, embracing Russia and takes care of American support for Ukraine.
On Monday, Trump ordered a break to the American military supplies on Ukraine, while he wanted to negotiate President Volodymyr Zensky to start negotiations to end the war with Russia, making the EU top in Brussels new urgency in Brussels.
'Europe is confronted with a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our adult lifespan. Some of our fundamental assumptions are undermined to their core, “the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned in a letter to EU leaders, who unveiled a € 800 billion (£ 669 billion) on Tuesday to stir Europe.
But perhaps the biggest challenge for the EU on Thursday is to take a united position at a time when it is broken, because much of what the block does requires unanimous support.
But individual states such as France are starting to perform.
Last night, French President Emmanuel Macron said seriously that he is open to discuss how nuclear missiles protection can be extended to the European allies of his country.
A hand-out photo made available by the state of Emergency Service of Ukraine shows saviors who work on the site where a Russian rocket met a five-storey hotel in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, March 5, 2025
Savators wear an injured person at the location of a hotel building struck by a Russian rocket attack, in the midst of the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, in this hand -Out photo released on March 6, 2025
Firefighters work on the site of houses destroyed by a Russian air raid, in the midst of the Russian attack on Ukraine, in the village of Slatyne, Kharkiv Region, Ukraine on March 6, 2025
Last night the French President Emmanuel Macron (photo) seriously said that he is open to discuss how the protection of nuclear missiles to European allies can be expanded
He said in a speech to the nation: 'Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it is complete, sovereign, French through and through.
“But when I responded to the historical call of the future German Chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate about the protection of our allies on the European continent by our (nuclear) deterioration.”
Whatever happens, the EU leaders meeting is not expected to meet the most urgent needs of Ukraine.
It is not aimed at drum more poor and ammunition to fill every supply vacuum created by the US Freeze. Nor will it be the estimated 183 billion euros ($ 196 billion) in frozen Russian assets in a Belgian public house, seized a pot with seized.
In the meantime, the armed forces of Ukraine are still fighting to delay the progress of Russia along the 600 -miles front line, especially in the Eastern Donetsk region. Tens of thousands of soldiers and more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed.
The focus of the top of Thursday will be finance, and how the EU can be set as quickly as possible to ensure its own security, and to help Ukraine, while breaking decades on dependence on the US Defense Umbrella.
“Given the increasing threat situation, it is clear to us that Europe … now very quickly makes very big efforts, very fast, to strengthen the defense capacity of our country and the European continent,” said the next Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, Tuesday.
The potential partners in the next government of Germany try to release the rules of the nation about storing debts to make higher defense issues possible.
NATO-Secretary-General Mark Rutte-Die fears that the armed forces of Russia are able to launch an attack on another European country by the end of the decade warned that American allies should spend more than 3% of gross domestic product on their military budgets.
The Trump government demands that Europeans spend no less than 5%, far beyond NATO benchmark of at least 2%. Seven European allies are still not falling due to that target. The US spends around 3.4%, according to NATO figures, and an audit of the Pentagon that could reduce that is being treated.
Von der Leyen has proposed that the executive power of the EU, the European Commission, up to 150 billion euros ($ 161 billion) in financial markets that would be borrowed from Member States who would buy new military equipment for themselves, or to Ukraine.
The committee would also like to release funds from other sectors of the enormous long -term budget of the block and to relax its strict debt rules so that each country could invest up to 1.5% more of their GDP in defense if they want.
The leaders will also discuss whether they should place more arms contracts with the defense industry in Ukraine and to integrate it into the European industrial network. The production costs in Ukraine are much lower and offer a relatively fast way to deliver more weapons and ammunition.
It is an approach that Zenskyy has praised.
'Last year alone, thanks to the Ukrainian and partner efforts, we produced more than 1.5 million drones of different species. Ukraine is now the world leader in drone warfare. This is our success. But it is also your success, “he said earlier this month at the Munich safety conference.
Possible EU support for a future power to guard a peace agreement in Ukraine will also be weighed. Great -Britain and France lead that effort, where various other European countries can be.
The top comes when the EU is demonstrably at the weakest point, fragmented due to the steady rise of a hard right that is often pro-Russian.
Hungary and Slovakia have undermined routine support for Ukraine. Hungary threatens to express a veto about a joint statement drawn up for the top of Thursday, but could not block major security or financing decisions.
In the meantime, much larger countries are confronted with uncertainties at home. Germany will soon have a new Chancellor, but the newest government in France is vulnerable and Spain relies on small parties to keep its coalition intact.
Poland offers strong leadership under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, but a presidential election looms up and a right -wing candidate is well placed. The Dutch cabinet that is dominated by hard-right leader Geert Wilders is shaky.
