EU leaders rallied around Ukraine and agreed to boost the bloc’s defenses at a crisis summit on Thursday, March 6. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went to Brussels a week after his White House blow-up with President Donald Trump led to Washington cutting off military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
The EU’s 27 leaders on Thursday greenlit a plan drawn up by the European Commission that aims to mobilize €800 billion to “rearm Europe” against the perceived threat from Russia.
At the summit, Zelensky told EU leaders that Ukrainian and American negotiators had “resumed work,” and that “we hope that next week we will have a meaningful meeting.” He thanked EU leaders for standing by Kyiv, with America’s outreach to Russia raising fears Ukraine could be forced into an unfavorable deal. “We are very thankful that we are not alone,” said the Ukrainian leader.
Washington said talks with Kyiv were back on track to secure a ceasefire with Russia. Declaring himself pleased by Zelensky’s “apology,” US envoy Steve Witkoff said he planned to travel to Saudi Arabia to speak to Ukrainian negotiators about an “initial ceasefire” with Russia and a “framework” for a longer agreement.
Zelensky said he would visit Saudi Arabia next Monday, a day before the planned talks. Zelensky said his trip was to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners. Ukraine is most interested in peace,” he said in a post on X. In Kyiv, a senior official said Ukrainian and US delegations were expected to meet Tuesday in Riyadh. Witkoff said the meeting would take place in Riyadh or Jeddah.
‘Watershed moment’
“Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told reporters, calling the summit “a watershed moment” for Ukraine and for the continent. The defense plans allow states to spend much more, at a time when Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz is embracing radical reforms to fund the country’s rearmament.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron likewise called Wednesday for a defense spending surge and said he would discuss extending France’s nuclear deterrent to European partners, an idea swiftly welcomed by several EU members. “Who can believe that this Russia of today will stop at Ukraine?” Macron asked in a nationwide address. “I want to believe that the United States will stay by our side, but we have to be prepared for that not to be the case.”
Thursday’s European summit comes a week after a White House blow-up between Trump and Zelensky led Washington to cut the military aid and intelligence sharing that has helped Kyiv fight off Russia’s invasion.
With America’s long-term commitment to Europe’s security now in doubt, the bloc faces immense pressure to rise to the moment. Already this week, Germany’s likely next leader pledged a historical U-turn on defense.
‘Coalition of the willing’
Zelensky’s visit to Brussels comes as he scrambles to reengage Washington after the Oval Office debacle, declaring himself ready to work towards a peace deal under Trump’s “strong leadership” and to finalize an accord on US access to Ukrainian mineral resources.
But Germany’s outgoing leader Olaf Scholz reiterated European warnings against any “dictated peace” in Ukraine. A future settlement must guarantee Kyiv’s “sovereignty and independence,” he said.
Trump’s outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the three-year war, sidelining both Kyiv and its European partners, has thrown Europe into crisis mode as it contemplates the possibility of a more lasting withdrawal of US security support.
It has also helped draw Britain back into the European fold, five years after leaving the EU. Now Prime Minister Keir Starmer is working in tandem with Macron to rebuild bridges between Trump and Zelensky.
Starmer and other European leaders made a show of embracing Zelensky at weekend talks in London that brought in NATO’s secretary general and non-EU partners such as Turkey. EU chiefs will be briefing the British leader after the Brussels summit.
France and Britain have pitched a one-month truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” and are calling for a “coalition of the willing” to help secure a ceasefire, with a British official saying Thursday talks with around 20 countries are underway. Turkey separately indicated Thursday it could play a part in peacekeeping efforts.
Leaders in Brussels are to start thrashing out more broadly what “security guarantees” the bloc might provide for a peace deal. That could include the deployment of European troops, something several states support, but which Russia reiterated Thursday it would not accept.
But while Zelensky can expect strong signals of support, several states argue Europe currently has enough money committed to meet Kyiv’s needs, despite the US freeze on aid. As a result, the meeting is unlikely to yield major new announcements of aid for Kyiv, beyond the €30 billion ($32 billion) the bloc has already earmarked for this year.
