Following US President Donald Trump’s unexpected announcement of the suspension of military aid to Ukraine, European leaders met for a special European Council session on March 6th, to discuss a plan for peace negotiations and for European defense. At the end of the meeting attended by President Zelenskyy, a final text on Ukraine was approved by all but the Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán, while the text on defense was unanimously approved. Nonetheless, both issues will be further discussed during the upcoming Council sessions in March and June.
A Distinguished Guest
The European Council meeting began with a guest appearance by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following his recent meeting with President Donald Trump. In his opening speech, Zelenskyy thanked European leaders for the support shown in the past turbulent weeks and reaffirmed his priorities for the continuation of peace negotiations, including resuming work with the United States.
The president declared that “Ukrainians do really want peace, but not at the cost of giving up Ukraine,” and since he considers Russia the sole responsible for the conflict, he urged the Heads of State present at the meeting to ensure that Russia is the one to end it. In line with the principles that would be approved later in the meeting, he also insisted that peace negotiations include a “Full and fair settlement,” coupled with security guarantees at the end of the conflict. Furthermore, he urged the European Heads of State to continue advocating for Ukraine’s presence in the peace talks, as he considers this the only way to both ensure peace across the continent and to safeguard European interests.
At the end of his speech, President Zelenskyy firmly expressed his support for European Commission President von der Leyen’s “ReArm Europe” plan, as “Everyone in Europe needs this,” and the allocated resources would strengthen all parts of the continent.
Five Principles for Peace
“Ukraine’s security is at the core of Europe’s security.” These were the words of European Council President António Costa during the press conference that followed last Thursday’s session. And it was this spirit that guided the European leaders in identifying the five principles that are set to guide the upcoming round of negotiations for a “Comprehensive, just and lasting peace.”
First things first, the European leaders declared that “There can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine […] [and] there can be no negotiations that affect European security without Europe’s involvement.” This is the firm response to the resumption of bilateral peace talks between Washington and Moscow, which seem to be leaving both Europe and Ukraine out of the loop.
“Any truce or ceasefire can only take place as part of a process leading to a comprehensive peace agreement,” European leaders continued, while further reiterating that peace agreements “[Need] to be accompanied by robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine that contribute to deterring future Russian aggression.” Possibly another jab at US President Trump, who does not seem inclined to make any effort to ensure the safety of the invaded country. Finally, the twenty-six leaders declared that peace “Must respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Achieving “Peace through strength,” requires Ukraine to be in the best possible position during the negotiations, therefore it is essential to ensure robust military capabilities. Member States must thus remain committed in providing political, humanitarian, financial, economic and military support to Ukraine and its people.
More specifically, this means stepping up in the delivery of air defense systems, ammunition and missiles, especially following the suspension of military aid from the United States. Member States have also volunteered to provide training and equipment to Ukrainian troops and to cooperate with like-minded partners to pursue the use of common security and defense policy instruments in safety guarantees. When it comes to economic and financial support, the European Union has committed to contribute 30.6 billion euros in 2025 in addition to the 135.4 billion euros that were already provided. These additional funds will partly come from the Ukraine Facility (a new mechanism set to provide support for the repair, recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine and for its accession to the European Union) and partly from the G7 extraordinary revenue acceleration loan, profiting from Russian immobilized assets.
The text containing these measures was approved by twenty-six out of twenty-seven leaders and the topics it covers will be further discussed in the upcoming meeting of the European Council.
A Europe of Defense
The Russian threat to European security makes it imperative for Europe to become responsible for its own defense against potential future invasions. To achieve this, the leaders gathered in Brussels have decided to focus, in accordance with NATO’s guidelines, on what President Costa has described as “Priority areas:” air and missile defense, ammunition, drones (and anti-drone systems), military mobility, artificial intelligence tools and electronic warfare. Furthermore, to encourage the development of the military and defense industry and to reduce costs, plans have been put in place for joint procurement and harmonization of requirements.
To finance these ambitious projects, European leaders have unanimously approved the European Commission’s proposal for a new instrument to encourage national military defense spending, worth up to 150 billion euros. The Council also recognized the need to activate the national escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact, to allow member states to take part in such substantial investments. Another significant contribution came from the European Investment Bank, which promised to “Broaden its mandate,” and to increase the number of loans granted to the defense sector.
In doing so, President Costa remarked in his press conference speech, Europe is “Putting [its] money where [its] mouth is. [It is] delivering on what [it] promised […] and moving decisively towards a strong and more sovereign Europe of Defense.” Thus, the promises that had been made to the citizens are being fulfilled, by ensuring their safety and simultaneously boosting the competitiveness of Europe’s technological and industrial foundations. The text received full support from all the members of the Council and the issue is reportedly going to be further discussed in the upcoming sessions.
