Photo: Getty images
European Union leaders will gather in Brussels to take strategic decisions on defence funding and support for Ukraine. Against the backdrop of the suspension of US military aid to Kyiv, the EU is seeking to strengthen its role in protecting its eastern borders. However, the ambitious plans may be blocked by Hungary, which insists on revising its approach to the conflict.
One of the key initiatives of the summit will be the creation of a European air coalition of 120 fighter jets to protect Kyiv, Lviv and Ukrainian nuclear power plants from Russian attacks. This project is supported by military experts, including former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Philip Breedlove and former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
France and Germany insist on increasing the EU’s defence budget, and the European Commission has already presented a plan to mobilise €800 billion. However, Hungary’s refusal to support military assistance to Ukraine could derail the adoption of the joint declaration.
Europe is facing a choice: either it consolidates to defend democratic values or it risks losing its strategic influence in the region. The decisive meeting will begin today at 14:00 Kyiv time.
