EU leaders to hold defence summit in Paris

European leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday for a special summit on defense issues, following French President Emmanuel Macron's warning that the continent is at "a turning point in its history."

In addition to rearmament, leaders are expected to discuss how the EU can further support Kyiv, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would suspend aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also invited to attend the summit.

Tensions in Europe have been escalating since the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House last week. The rhetoric surrounding this summit undoubtedly demonstrates the high importance EU officials place on it.

Three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Trump administration's overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin have left many Europeans worried that the continent can no longer rely on U.S. support on security matters. Washington's decision on Wednesday to suspend intelligence sharing with Ukraine has further heightened these concerns.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a national address on Wednesday, said that France was willing to discuss extending the protection offered by its nuclear arsenal to European partners. Friedrich Merz, Germany's likely future Chancellor, has also called for discussions on strengthening nuclear sharing.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe is facing "a danger that is clearer and more present than we have seen in our adult lives." European Council President António Costa said it was a "key moment for the security of Ukraine and Europe."

In a letter to European leaders, von der Leyen also said that the continent must "seize the moment," "unleash our industrial and productive power, and direct it towards security needs." She announced an unprecedented defense plan on Monday – dubbed "rearming Europe" – and said that Europe was ready to increase defense spending "massively, with the speed and ambition required."

Von der Leyen said the three proposals outlined in the "rearming Europe" plan would both support Ukraine and "meet Europe's long-term need to take more responsibility," potentially referring to the sentiment among many Europeans that the continent can no longer automatically rely on U.S. aid.

These proposals include: allowing countries to raise national deficit levels to provide space for increased defense spending; providing €150 billion (£125 billion) in loans for defense investments in areas that benefit the EU's overall defense, such as air and missile defense, anti-drone systems, and military mobility, helping to concentrate demand and lower costs through joint procurement; and allowing countries to transfer funds earmarked for cohesion policy projects (policies aimed at reducing disparities between advantaged and disadvantaged regions) to defense spending.

The European Investment Bank will also be allowed to finance military projects. According to von der Leyen, the plan could unlock a total of €800 billion (£670 billion; $860 billion) in defense spending.

Many European leaders have already expressed support for swift and decisive action on the continent's security issues. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the European Commission's plan represented a "fundamental shift," while Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said the summit would provide Europe with an opportunity to show "whether it is just a debating club or whether we can make decisions."

But some European leaders sympathetic to Moscow are expected to dissent. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said earlier this week that the EU's approach of "peace through strength" was "unrealistic."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in a letter to Costa, demanded that no mention of Ukraine be included in any written conclusions following the summit. Orbán, who has repeatedly attempted to block EU aid to Ukraine and praised Trump for "bravely standing up for peace," said that there is now a "strategic divergence between the majority of countries in Europe and the United States."

"One side is committed to prolonging the war in Ukraine, while the other seeks to end the conflict," he added. However, Orbán also left the door open to "more likely cooperation" with other leaders on common security and defense issues.

Perhaps in a last-ditch effort to achieve unity ahead of the summit, Macron invited Orbán to dinner in Paris on Wednesday evening. Macron has been positioning himself as central to the EU's efforts to bridge the gap between Kyiv and Washington.

The two leaders met immediately after the French president delivered a somber address to the nation. Macron said in his address that France and Europe needed to be prepared if the U.S. was no longer by their side.

"We must be united and determined to protect ourselves," Macron said. He added that Europe's future could not be tied to Washington or Moscow, and said that while he "want[ed] to believe that the United States will stand by our side, we must prepare for the event that it does not."

The French president is planning to hold a summit of European military chiefs in Paris next week. Macron said that "decisive steps" would be taken in Brussels to make European countries "more ready to defend and protect themselves."

"This moment calls for unprecedented decisions," he concluded.