European leaders find themselves in a new era of hostility, a new era of cooperation from the United States, a greater threat to Russia and an increasingly uncertain prospect for Ukraine. On Thursday, they will gather in Brussels to try to figure out what to do.
They will need to go a thin line: figure out how to support Ukraine and strengthen their defenses while avoiding further alienating Washington’s violent allies.
The specially convened gatherings will include state or government leaders from 27 EU member states and are the latest in a series of rapid arrangements for defense.
They are expected to discuss how to raise funds for European military spending in a gradual manner, hoping to get the mainland armed to deal with Russia without substitutes from across the Atlantic. They will also review the appearance of Ukraine’s peace plan and how they support it.
In some ways, the conference marks the beginning of a new chapter in the EU. The groups created to promote cooperation and peace are forced to think about their in a world of conflict and hostility, even among allies.
The pressing question is that the EU is consensus-focused, with a clumsy structure that can adapt to itself quickly enough to ensure that Europe will not be abandoned as Trump quickly changes the global order.
“Obviously, in times like this, Europe needs to prepare for the worst,” said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a think tank think tank.
In less than two months, President Trump has changed the game in terms of security in Europe. He demanded a rapid peace in Ukraine and made President Vorodim Zelensky push him to negotiate by publicly condemning him and stopping aid to his embattled state. He held talks with Russia without directly involving Europe or Ukraine.
He also insisted that European countries spent more on their defenses, attacking members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization because they paid very little to protect themselves in the “unfair” system.
A blow or two between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky and a disastrous meeting last week between Mr. Trump forced European leaders to move forward with a new sense of urgency.
After a collapse between the two leaders, Mr. Zelensky proposed an action on Tuesday that he said the war could be ended to appease Mr. Trump. He did so after days of consultation with French and British leaders, and while Mr. Trump seemed to have embraced the publicity well, it was unclear what would happen next.
Britain and France say they are willing to send troops as peacekeeping forces if a deal is reached, but this is an open question, to be precise, how many countries may join British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling it a “coalition of willingness.”
How will the EU support such an alliance? It is obvious that as the future of the mainland is determined, the group hopes to participate in the dialogue.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday he would talk with European allies about the possibility of using French nuclear deterrents to protect the African continent after Russia is threatened.
According to EU officials, several countries, including the UK, Norway and Turkey, are expected to brief Europeans after Thursday’s meeting, amid a sign that Europe appears to be more integrated.
Mr Zelensky has been invited to the party and is expected to join EU officials, although Mr Zelensky’s office declined to comment on the upcoming meeting.
Officials spoke on anonymous condition to discuss internal issues.
Despite increased cooperation among countries, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been working hard to speak to the Ukrainian voice during the moment when Hungarian Prime Minister supports Mr. Trump and speaks among European colleagues in Ukraine.
Senior EU diplomats said EU officials have been discussing further aid from Ukraine but finalized plans for fresh funding on Thursday.
Thursday’s discussions are also expected to go beyond Ukraine’s plight and focus on how Europe can better protect itself.
Among other things, leaders are expected to talk about a novel plan unveiled this week by EU executive head Ursula von der Leyen.
Her proposal to “rearm” Europe would create a €150 billion loan plan to make defense investment plans more flexible so that countries can invest more without violating strict deficit rules. Officials estimate that this could help increase security spending by as much as 800 billion euros.
Ms von der Leyen pointed out the imports when making a recommendation on Tuesday: “We live in the most important and dangerous times.”
