EU leaders met in Brussels today to discuss European defense. The meeting, at which NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer participated as invited guests, was billed as an “informal summit” to discuss matters of European defense, including U.S.-EU cooperation, military spending and ramping up Europe’s defense industry, AP reported this morning.
The major dividing line among the 27 leaders was reported to be French President Emanuel Macron’s proposal that EU defense money should be spent in Europe, not in the U.S. Macron told reporters on his arrival in Brussels that President Donald Trump’s policies were one of several factors pushing the EU to become less dependent on others. “What’s happening at this very moment today in Ukraine, what’s happening also now with the choices, the declarations of the new American administration of President Trump pushes the Europeans to be more united, more active to respond on subjects of their collective security,” he said, reported Reuters. This meant boosting Europe’s defense industry and buying more European arms, Macron said.
According to Reuters, Macron’s comments reflected his vision of European “strategic autonomy.” But some other leaders stressed they wanted to continue a strong security partnership with the U.S. and other NATO alliance members and keep buying U.S. arms. “I will advocate against imposing restrictions on arms purchases. Security is our top priority. Relations with the U.S.A., Canada, and Norway in terms of defense must remain at the forefront,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
According to a NATO press release, Rutte “stressed the importance of the NATO-EU partnership, highlighting the transatlantic bond as the foundation of European security.” Rutte “also outlined shared priorities for NATO and the EU and called for both organizations to go faster and further together in the face of mounting security challenges.” Aside from mentioning “the transatlantic bond, the NATO statement made other references to the U.S. According to a report in Politico, Rutte has “been at pains to keep an open channel to Trump to persuade the U.S. president of the value of the Atlantic alliance—including by looking for ways to make the purchase of American weapons easier and faster for Europeans.”