Friday Briefing: A ‘Watershed Moment’ for Europe

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, center, with E.U. officials. Credit…Nicolas Tucat/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

European leaders held talks on Ukraine and defense

At a meeting in Brussels yesterday, leaders of the E.U.’s 27 countries discussed how to bolster both the continent’s defenses and its support for Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, called it a “watershed moment.”

The goal for Europe is to better arm itself to deal with Russia without as much backup from the U.S. To reach that objective, a plan from the Commission would offer 150 billion euros in loans to invest in missile defense, anti-drone systems and other defense technologies.

The leaders also reviewed a peace plan for Ukraine and ways to support it financially and possibly with troops. “We are very thankful that we are not alone,” said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the meeting.

Jeanna Smialek, our Brussels bureau chief, told me as the meeting was ongoing that E.U. leaders were mostly “vowing to stand by Ukraine.” But it wasn’t quite unanimous.

“Hungary did not sign onto a joint statement of support after the European Council meeting,” Jeanna said. It was “the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion that the E.U.’s unanimity on such a statement has broken.”

Hungary has, in the past, been reluctant to join an E.U. consensus on Ukraine.

U.S.-Ukraine talks: Steve Witkoff, a Trump envoy, said that U.S. and Ukrainian officials plan to meet next week in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war.