Brussels: Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the EU leaders on Thursday for having been standing alongside Ukraine, while the block launched discussions on the crisis of confrontation of the Pivot of US President Donald Trump far from kyiv and his transatlantic partners.
Thursday’s summit brings together the 27 EU leaders for the first time since last week’s explosive meeting between Trump and Zelensky. Since then, Washington has suspended military aid and intelligence that helped kyiv fight the invasion of Russia.
“We are very grateful that we are not alone. And these are not only words,” the Ukrainian president told journalists while the talks have launched, standing alongside the heads of the EU Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa.
With America’s long -term commitment to Europe’s security, the block is under pressure to reach the moment. Already this week, the next chief of Germany has promised a historic tour in defense.
“This is a moment of the watershed for Europe,” said Von Der Leyen, who has established a plan aimed at mobilizing 800 billion euros to “rearore Europe” confronted with the threat of Russia.
“Europe faces a clear and current danger, and therefore Europe must be able to protect itself,” the head of the commission told journalists.
“It is also a moment in the watershed for Ukraine,” she added. “We have to put Ukraine in a position to protect himself and put pressure to last and just peace.”
Managers should give a green light on the commission’s defense plans Thursday, largely based on the release of states to spend much more – something that the two economic powers of the block seem to be doing.
In a dark national speech the day before the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a thrust of defense expenses to face a “new era” and said that he would discuss the extension of France’s nuclear deterrence to European partners.
“Who can believe that this Russia today will stop in Ukraine?” Macron asked. “I want to believe that the United States will stay by our side, but we must be prepared so that this is not the case.”
The German Chancellor of Friedrich Merz, who gave the EU chiefs in Brussels before the talks, declared himself ready for “the worst case” and adopted radical reforms to inflate German defense expenses.
“Coalition of volunteers”
Zelensky’s visit to Brussels comes as he rushes to re -engage Washington after the White House breath – declaring himself ready to work towards a “solid leadership” agreement of Trump and to finalize an agreement on US -mineral access to Ukrainian mineral resources.
But the outgoing chief of Germany, Olaf Scholz, reiterated European warnings against any “dictated peace” in Ukraine. A future regulation must guarantee kyiv’s “sovereignty and independence”, he said.
Trump’s awareness of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the three -year war – sidelines both kyiv and his European partners – threw Europe into crisis mode when it is considering the possibility of a more sustainable withdrawal of support for American security.
He also helped to bring back Great Britain into the European fold, five years after leaving the EU. Now Prime Minister Keir Starmer works in tandem with Macron to rebuild bridges between Trump and Zelensky.
Starmer and other European leaders demonstrated Zelensky’s adoption during weekend discussions in London who brought the secretary general of NATO and EU partners such as Turkey. EU chiefs will inform the British chief of Brussels discussions on Friday.
France and Great Britain presented a truce of a month “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” and call for a “coalition of will” to help obtain a future ceasefire. Turkey said on Thursday that it could play a role in peacekeeping efforts.
Brussels leaders must start to eliminate “security guarantees” more broadly that the block could provide a peace agreement. This could include the deployment of European troops, which several states support, but that Russia reiterated Thursday that it would not accept.
But while Zelensky can expect solid support signals, the meeting is unlikely to produce new kyiv aid announcements, beyond 30 billion euros ($ 32 billion), the block has already committed this year.
Several states argue that Europe is currently sufficiently made up of kyiv’s needs – despite the American freeze.
