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EU leaders to back defence surge, support Zelenskyy after US aid freeze

06 March 2025 12:23 (UTC +04:00)

European leaders aim to endorse bold measures to ramp up defence spending and pledge support for Ukraine on Thursday, after Donald Trump's suspension of military aid to Kyiv fuelled concerns the continent can no longer be sure of U.S. protection, APA reports citing Reuters.

Leaders of the European Union's 27 countries will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a summit in Brussels, although their show of solidarity may be marred by Hungary refusing to endorse a statement backing Kyiv.

The meeting takes place against a backdrop of dramatic defence policy decisions driven by fears that Russia, emboldened by its war in Ukraine, may attack an EU country next and that Europe cannot rely on the U.S. to come to its aid.

U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted he is committed to the NATO security alliance that links North America and Europe.

But he has also said Europe must take more responsibility for its security and previously suggested the U.S. would not protect a NATO ally that did not spend enough on defence.

His decision to shift from staunch U.S. support for Ukraine to a more conciliatory stance towards Moscow has deeply alarmed Europeans who see Russia as the biggest threat to their security.

"I want to believe that the United States will stand by us. But we have to be ready if that is not the case," French President Emmanuel Macron said of the war in Ukraine in an address to the French nation on the eve of the summit.

In a sign of the gravity of the moment, Macron said France is open to discussing extending the protection offered by its nuclear arsenal to its European partners.

On Tuesday, the parties aiming to form Germany's next government agreed to loosen borrowing limits to allow billions of euros of extra defence spending.

The European Commission – the EU's executive body – also unveiled proposals that it said could mobilise up to 800 billion euros ($862.9 billion) for European defence, including a plan to borrow up to 150 billion euros ($161.8 billion) to lend to EU governments.