European Union leaders are holding emergency talks on Thursday on ways to quickly increase their military budgets after the Trump administration signaled that Europe must take care of its own security and also suspended assistance to Ukraine.
In just over a month, President Donald Trump has overturned old certainties about U.S. reliability as a security partner, as he embraces Russia and withdraws American support for Ukraine.
On Monday, Trump ordered a pause to U.S. military supplies to Ukraine as he sought to press President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in negotiations to end the war with Russia, bringing fresh urgency to the EU summit in Brussels.
Here's the latest:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday harshly criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that Russia threatens Europe.
“This is a threat to Russia,” Lavrov said at a briefing in Moscow, noting Macron’s plan to convene a meeting of top European military officers to discuss purported aggressive plans by Moscow.
Lavrov dismissed the allegations that Russia was hatching plans to attack European nations as “stupid” and “delirious nonsense.”
“For any more or less sane person it is completely clear that Russia does not need this,” he said.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected a peace proposal from France and Britain, describing it as an attempt by Kyiv’s European allies to offer a break to the embattled Ukrainian army.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said that the proposed break in air and naval attacks is an attempt to “secure a pause for the agonizing Kyiv regime, the Ukrainian armed forces and prevent the front from collapsing.”
She said that Ukraine would use any pause in fighting to strengthen its military, which would lead to prolonged conflict.
Friedrich Merz, who will most likely become Germany’s next chancellor in a few weeks, won’t be participating in Thursday’s EU summit.
But the center-right politician who won the country’ election last month did meet several top European leaders ahead of the summit in Brussels, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
On X, Merz writes that he agrees with both on sharply increasing Europe’s s defense capabilities. He stresses that “we must be able to defend ourselves so that we don’t have to defend ourselves.” He adds, “there can only be peace in Europe if we are strong.”
The British government says plans are advancing for a multinational military force to help protect peace in Ukraine, with about 20 countries involved in talks.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office says officials from some 20 nations attended a planning meeting organized by the U.K. on Wednesday. Spokesman Tom Wells said the “interested countries” came largely from Europe and the Commonwealth. He did not identify any of the countries.
Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have proposed a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and guarantee the peace after a ceasefire. Only the U.K. and France have so far said they are willing to send troops.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Moscow wouldn’t accept any troops from NATO members as peacekeepers to monitor a possible peace deal in Ukraine.
Lavrov assailed French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer for pushing the proposal for European peacekeepers’ deployment to Ukraine and reaffirmed that Russia won’t accept it.
“We aren’t seeing any room for compromise here,” Lavrov said.
He emphasized that Russia would see the move as a “direct, official and unveiled involvement of NATO members in the war against Russia,” adding that “it can’t be allowed.”
Germany’s Scholz says just as his country is getting ready to massively boost its defense capabilities, all of Europe should plan to make much bigger investments in the military so that the continent is capable of defending itself.
He welcomed the EU initiative to loosen its regulations in order to offer additional borrowing options for member states.
Scholz says he is “in favor of not just having that discussion now for the next one or two years, but that we ensure in the long term that states can spend as much on defense as they themselves and with their friends and allies see fit.”
In addition, he says, the summit is about “strengthening our European arms industry by giving us more freedom to cooperate with each other and making procurement easier.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters in Brussels that it was too early to speculate what role Europe should play in a possible ceasefire in Ukraine but reiterated that Ukraine and Europe should be present in any negotiations.
He added that Europe shouldn’t “underestimate itself” amid uncertainty about the future of U.S. participation in Ukraine’s defense.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says “Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself, to defend itself.”
Arriving at the EU summit alongside Zelenskyy, von der Leyen said: “This is a watershed moment for Europe and Ukraine as part of our European family. It’s also a watershed moment for Ukraine.”
Ahead of the EU summit in Brussels, Scholz called on the European leaders to act jointly in responding to tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.
He said that “Europe is the strongest economic area in the world with its own opportunities. And that is why it is very important that, especially when it comes to tariffs, we are also clear about how we act in this matter — namely united and determined.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom says the United States is destroying the rules-based international order by cozying up to Russia.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi told a conference hosted by the Chatham House think tank that “it’s not just the axis of evil and Russia” disrupting the global system, “but the U.S. is finally destroying this order.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Zaluzhnyi said talks between Washington and Moscow over the Ukraine war showed the White House “makes steps toward the Kremlin, trying to meet them halfway.” He also warned that Russia’s next target “could be Europe.”
The ambassador, a former commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, said NATO might cease to exist in the next few years if the current course continues.
Scholz says Europe must continue to support Ukraine financially and militarily.
At the same time, he says, “we must ensure, with a cool and intelligent head, that the support of the USA is also guaranteed in the coming months and years, because Ukraine is also dependent on their support for its defense.”
Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters upon arrival at the EU summit in Brussels that “it is very important that we ensure that Ukraine does not have to accept a dictated peace, but that there will be a fair and just peace that ensures the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”
He says he supports concrete proposals such as silencing weapons in the air and sea, no further threats to Ukraine’s infrastructure and a prisoner exchange, which “can lay the foundation for a ceasefire.”
Baltic nations welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal for talks about using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats.
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda praised a “very interesting idea” at his arrival at an emergency EU summit on defense and Ukraine in Brussels. “We have high expectations because nuclear umbrella would serve as really very serious deterrence towards Russia,” Nausėda said.
Latvia Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said she sees the French proposal “as an opportunity to discuss,” stressing that more time is needed for talks with European allies and at home.
Macron said he has decided to open a “strategic debate” on the protection of European allies by France’s nuclear deterrent. Macron said the use of France’s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.
The Kremlin on Thursday dismissed as “extremely confrontational” a speech by Emmanuel Macron, in which the French president called Moscow a “threat” to Europe.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Macron also said that he’s ready to start discussions on nuclear deterrence with European allies.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during a regular call with journalists said the speech was “extremely confrontational” and said that it was clear that France wasn’t thinking about peace.
“One can conclude that France thinks more about war, about continuing the war,” Peskov added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Peskov, saying during a news conference in Moscow that Macron’s speech and his comments on discussing nuclear deterrence with European allies were a “threat” against Russia.
Zelenskyy arrived at the emergency EU summit on Thursday and thanked European Union leaders for their unwavering support for Ukraine.
“During all this period, and last week, you stayed with us. ... Big appreciation. We are very thankful that we are not alone. And these are not just words — we feel it,” Zelenskyy said.
He said EU support for Ukraine “signals to increase our production, and signals to a new program to increase European security.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a plan to loosen budget rules so countries that are willing can spend much more on defense. Her proposal is underpinned by 150 billion euros ($162 billion) worth of loans to buy priority military equipment.
Most of the increased defense spending would have to come from national budgets at a time when many countries are already overburdened with debt.
France is struggling to reduce an excessive annual budget deficit of 5% of GDP. Five other countries using the euro currency have debt levels over 100% of GDP: Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Europe’s largest economy, Germany, has more room to borrow, with a debt level of 62% of GDP.
France is providing military intelligence to Ukraine after Washington announced it was freezing the sharing of information with Kyiv.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, “Our intelligence is sovereign. We have intelligence that we allow Ukraine to benefit from.”
He added that following the U.S. decision to suspend all military aid to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron asked him to “accelerate the various French aid packages” to make up for the lack of American assistance.
In Ukraine, a Russian ballistic missile killed four people staying at a hotel in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown during the night.
Zelenskyy said a humanitarian organization’s volunteers had moved into the hotel in Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine, just before the strike, including Ukrainian, American and British nationals. He didn’t say whether those people were among the 31 injured.
Russia fired 112 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as two ballistic Iskander missiles, at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said.
Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor of Germany, conferred in Brussels with summit chairman Antonio Costa over breakfast on how to fortify Europe’s defenses on a short deadline. Merz only days ago pushed plans to loosen the nation’s rules on running up debt to allow for higher defense spending.
At the same time, the 27-nation bloc was waking up to the news that French President Emmanuel Macron would confer with EU leaders about the possibility of using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats.
The bloc will “take decisive steps forward,” Macron told the French nation Wednesday evening. “Member states will be able to increase their military spending” and “massive joint funding will be provided to buy and produce some of the most innovative munitions, tanks, weapons and equipment in Europe,” he said.
Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, center left, speaks with Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever during a round table meeting at an EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, left, arrives for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks withe the media as she arrives for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, left, arrives for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arrives for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa during a round table meeting at an EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrive for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, speaks with Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever during a round table meeting at an EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
European Council President Antonio Costa, center right, greets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, as they arrive for a round table meeting at an EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak with the media as they arrive for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, and European Council President Antonio Costa speak with the media as they arrive for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
European Council President Antonio Costa, hidden behind flag left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, speak with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they arrive for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak with the media as they arrive for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
A woman rides her bike past an Ukraine themed artwork, created by Ukrainian artist Gamlet Zinkivskyi, on the facade of the European External Action Service headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
European Council President Antonio Costa, right, greets Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, prior to a meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Activists unfurl a large banner in support of Ukraine outside the European Council building ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
