(AFP) – EU leaders rallied around Ukraine and agreed to boost the bloc’s defences at a crisis summit Thursday, as Washington said talks with Kyiv were back on track to secure a ceasefire with Russia. Ukraine’s 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. Zelensky has since scrambled to mend fences, and the US envoy on the Russia-Ukraine conflict announced new negotiations were planned.
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. In Kyiv, a senior official said Ukrainian and US delegations were expected to meet Tuesday in Riyadh. Witkoff mentioned that the meeting would take place in Riyadh or Jeddah. Zelensky told EU leaders that Ukrainian and American negotiators had “resumed work,” and he expressed hope for a meaningful meeting next week. He thanked EU leaders for standing by Kyiv, as America’s outreach to Russia raised fears that Ukraine could be forced into an unfavorable deal, stating, “We are very thankful that we are not alone.”
– Defense boost – Trump’s pivot away from Kyiv and its European allies has cast doubt on the US commitment to NATO’s European members, piling pressure on European governments. The EU’s 27 leaders on Thursday greenlit a plan drawn up by the European Commission that aims to mobilise 800 billion euros ($860 billion) to “re-arm Europe” against the perceived threat from Russia. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told reporters, “Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself,” calling it “a watershed moment” for Ukraine and for the continent. The defence plans allow states to spend far more during 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 called Wednesday for a defence spending surge and stated 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.”
– ‘Coalition of the willing’ – In his bid to salvage cooperation with Washington, Zelensky declared himself ready to work towards a peace deal under Trump’s “strong leadership” and to finalise an accord on US access to Ukrainian mineral resources. However, Germany’s outgoing leader Olaf Scholz reiterated European warnings against any “dictated peace” in Ukraine, emphasizing that a future settlement must guarantee Kyiv’s “sovereignty and independence.” 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. It has also helped draw Britain closer to the EU, five years after leaving the bloc.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is working with Macron to rebuild bridges between Trump and Zelensky, proposing a one-month truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure.” They have called for a “coalition of the willing” to help secure a ceasefire, with a British official stating that talks with around 20 countries are underway. European leaders are discussing more broadly what “security guarantees” the bloc might provide for a peace deal, which could include deploying European troops, a move supported by several states.
Russia, however, reiterated that it would not accept European forces in Ukraine, nor a merely temporary ceasefire—insisting that a “final settlement” was needed. Despite the European show of support for Zelensky, the meeting yielded no major new announcements of aid for Kyiv, beyond the 30 billion euros ($32 billion) the bloc has already earmarked for this year. Norway, a non-EU member, announced that it would more than double its aid to Ukraine for 2025, bringing the total to $7.8 billion. Several EU states contend that Europe currently has sufficient funds committed to meet Kyiv’s needs, despite the US freeze on aid.
burs-ec/ub/tw – Emma CHARLTON, with Shaun TANDON in Washington.
© 2024 AFP
