European leaders find themselves immersed in a new hostile era of less cooperation in the United States, a greater threat from Russia and an increasingly uncertain perspective for Ukraine. Thursday, they will meet in Brussels to try to understand what to do on this subject.
They will have to browse a fine line: find out how to support Ukraine and strengthen their own defenses while avoiding more alienating their tumultuous allies in Washington.
The specially called and long -awaited rally will include heads of state or the government of the 27 member countries of the European Union and is the last of a series of quickly organized heights focused on the defense.
We expect them to discuss how to finance an increase in European military spending, in the hope of making the continent better armed to face Russia without as much safeguarding on the other side of the Atlantic. They will also examine what a peace plan for Ukraine could look like and how they can support it.
In some respects, Reunion marks the start of a new chapter for the European Union. Created to promote cooperation and peace, the block is forced to contemplate its role in a world designed by conflicts and animosity, even among the allies.
The urgent question is whether the EU, with its clumsy structure and focused on consensus, can adapt quickly enough to ensure that Europe does not allow itself because Mr. Trump quickly changes the world order.
“There is clearly a feeling that, at a time like this, Europe must prepare for the worst,” said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a principal researcher to the Brussels based reflection group.
In less than two months, President Trump changed the game with regard to security in Europe. He demanded rapid peace in Ukraine and pushed President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiations by repressing him publicly and interrupting assistance to his besieged nation. He opened talks with Russia without directly involving Europe or Ukraine.
At the same time, he insisted that European nations spend more on their own defense, sitting members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for having paid too little to protect themselves an “unfair” system.
This one -two punch – and the disastrous meeting last week between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky – forced European leaders to move with a new urgency.
In the wake of the collapse between the two leaders, Mr. Zelensky offered a line of conduct on Tuesday which, according to him, could end the war, in order to appease Mr. Trump. He did it after days of advice from leaders of France and Great Britain, and although this awareness seems to be well received by Mr. Trump, it is not clear what is happening next.
The United Kingdom and France have indicated a desire to send troops as a peacekeeping force if an agreement is concluded, but it is an open question exactly how many nations could join what Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Great Britain called a “coalition of the provision”.
It is not clear either how the EU will support such a coalition. What is clear is that the block wants to be in conversation because the future of the continent is determined.
On Wednesday, French president, Emmanuel Macron, said that he would speak with the European allies about the possibility of using France’s nuclear deterrence to protect the continent following threats from Russia.
In a sign that Europe seems to come together more, several countries that are not in the block – including the United Kingdom, Norway and Turkey – should be informed by senior EU officials after Thursday’s meeting, according to a European Union official.
Mr. Zelensky was invited to the meeting and should join, according to another EU official, although Mr. Zelensky’s office refused to comment on the next meeting.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal questions.
Despite the increase in cooperation between nations, the block continues to fight to speak in a voice on Ukraine at a time when Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, been vocal in his support of Mr. Trump and in his disagreement with his European colleagues on Ukraine.
EU officials discussed subsequent aid for Ukraine, but it is unlikely that plans to give it a new money pot will be finalized on Thursday, according to a higher EU diplomat who spoke under the cover of anonymity to discuss internal plans.
Thursday discussions should also go beyond the fate of Ukraine and focus on how Europe can better protect itself as a whole.
Among other things, leaders should talk about a novel plan unveiled this week by Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU executive branch.
What she calls a proposal to “rearore” Europe would create a loan program of 150 billion euros for the investment of the defense, while making the rules of the EU budget more flexible to allow countries to invest more without breaking the rules of difficult deficit. In total, officials estimate that this could help increase security expenditure by 800 billion euros.
While she unveiled the proposals on Tuesday, Ms. von der Leyen noted the import: “We live in the most important and most dangerous moments.”
