EU leaders open emergency summit on defence, Ukraine aid as U.S. security support wanes

EU leaders hold emergency talks to bolster security amid potential US disengagement, focusing on defense spending and Ukraine protection.

Facing the prospect that the United States might cut them adrift under President Donald Trump, European Union (EU) leaders launched a day of emergency talks Thursday (March 6, 2025) in a bid to beef up their own security and ensure that Ukraine will still be properly protected.

Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor of Germany, and summit chairman Antonio Costa discussed over breakfast in Brussels ways to fortify Europe’s defences on a short deadline.

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Mr. Merz pushed plans this week to loosen the nation’s rules on running up debt to allow for higher defence spending.

Meanwhile, the 27-nation bloc was waking up to 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.

It all underscored the sea change that has taken place in the two months since Mr. Trump took office and immediately started questioning the cornerstones of cooperation between the United States and Europe that had been the bedrock of Western security since World War II.

“Given these profound shifts in U.S. policy, and the existential threat of another war on the continent, Europe must manage its essential defence tasks,” the European Policy Center think tank said in a commentary.