Volodymyr Zelenskyy will brief the 27 leaders about the latest developments in the negotiations promoted by Donald Trump to end Russia’s war.
The 27 leaders of the European Union are gathering in Brussels for a summit with a remarkably busy agenda led by Russia’s war on Ukraine, the negotiations launched by Donald Trump and new multi-billion plans to rearm the bloc.
The meeting will also address the need to boost competitiveness, the management of irregular migration, the situation in the Middle East, the multilateral order and the future of the EU budget, which is under severe strain after years of successive crises.
The list of topics is so extensive that heads of state and government might be forced to stay in the Belgian capital overnight and continue their discussions on Friday morning.
The summit comes shrouded in a feeling of déjà vu, given that the 27 got together only two weeks ago to discuss Ukraine and defence. The emergency meeting was convened in reaction to Trump’s fast-moving diplomacy and his pivot towards Moscow, which rattled leaders and stoked fears of an imminent collapse of the transatlantic alliance.
While plenty of doubts remain, the unease somewhat abated after Ukraine agreed to an interim 30-day ceasefire and the US lifted the suspension on military aid and intelligence sharing, signalling an improvement in bilateral relations. Vladimir Putin responded with a more limited proposal for a ceasefire of attacks against energy infrastructure and demanded a “complete” halt in supplies of military aid to Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who spoke with Trump on Wednesday about the next steps in the negotiations, will brief leaders in the room via video conference.
“If it’s true that Putin said we should stop our military aid to Ukraine, then you will read in our conclusions the exact opposite,” said a senior diplomat.
However, the Ukraine chapter of the conclusions is expected to be endorsed by only 26 member states, as Hungary remains firmly opposed to any language related to the “peace through strength” strategy and fresh provisions of weapons and ammunition. The same dynamic played out two weeks ago when Viktor Orbán opted out of the joint text.
Moreover, leaders will tackle the European Commission’s ambitious plans to quickly ramp up defence spending, including a novel €150-billion loan programme, and unlock the potential of the €10 trillion that EU citizens have in savings. The initiative to rearm has received broad support from the capitals but legislative work needs to continue before the Commission can go to the markets and raise the money for the loans.
Over dinner, the 27 will deliberate about the bloc’s budget for the 2028-2034 period, although this part of the summit will be left without detailed conclusions because the process is still in the early stages. The debate about the next budget is poised to be explosive and complex, with new priorities on defence, green, digital and Ukraine seeking greater space alongside traditional envelopes of agriculture and cohesion.
“The challenge is the financial equation: how we match our ambitions with the resources of our Union,” said a senior EU official.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will join leaders at different moments throughout the long day. / euronews