European leaders on Thursday backed strategies to spend more on defense and continue to stand by Ukraine in a world overthrown by Donald Trumps reversal of United States policies.The European Unions defense summit in Brussels happened amid fears that Russia, pushed by its war in Ukraine, may attack an EU nation next and that Europe can no longer count on the United States to come to its aid, Reuters reported.Today we have shown that the European Union is rising to the difficulty, developing the Europe of defense and standing with Ukraine shoulder to shoulder, the chairman of the meeting Antonio Costa informed reporters.EU leaders hailed the European Commissions proposals today to provide fiscal versatility on defense spending, and to jointly obtain as much as 150 billion euros ($160 billion) to provide to EU governments to invest in their militaries.In a joint statement concurred by all 27 member states, the leaders called on their ministers to take a look at these proposals in detail urgently.Europe need to take up this challenge, this arms race.
And it must win it, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a special defense summit in Brussels.Europe as a whole is really capable of winning any military, financial, economic conflict with Russia - we are just stronger, Tusk said.French President Emmanuel Macron, who on Wednesday had actually informed French citizens that Russia was a threat to France and Europe, stated all this was just a very first step.Whatever occurs in Ukraine, we need to build self-governing defense capacities in Europe, he said after the EU summit.The EU leaders also voiced assistance for Ukraine, however that declaration was agreed without Hungarys nationalist leader Viktor Orban, a Trump ally, who is also cultivating ties with Moscow.In their statement, the other 26 EU leaders stressed that there can be no settlements on Ukraine without Ukraine, and swore to continue to offer it aid, according to a current draft.We are here to safeguard Ukraine, Costa said as he and European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen, both smiling broadly, warmly invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the top, in sharp contrast with the clash in between Trump and Zelenskiy in the Oval Office last week.But years of reliance on US protection, divergences on funding and on how Frances nuclear deterrence might be utilized for Europe showed how tough it would be for the EU to fill the void left by Washington after it froze military aid to Ukraine.Washington provided more than 40% of military help to Ukraine last year, according to NATO, a few of which Europe might not easily replace.
Some leaders still held out hope, in public at least, that Washington could be coaxed back into the fold.