EU leaders begin emergency talks on higher defence spending & Ukraine aid

European Union leaders today began a day of emergency talks to strengthen their own security and ensure that Ukraine will still be properly protected. Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor of Germany, and summit chairman Antonio Costa discussed in Brussels ways to fortify Europe’s defences on a short deadline. Merz pushed plans this week to loosen the nation’s rules on running up debt to allow for higher defence spending. The European Policy Center think tank said, given recent profound shifts in US policy, Europe must manage its essential defence tasks.

The US has paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine



alongside a military aid freeze, part of a pressure campaign to force its government to cooperate with the White House’s plans to end the country’s war with Russia. The C.I.A. director, John Ratcliffe, and the national security adviser, Michael Waltz, both confirmed the pause in intelligence support but suggested it could be short-lived if Ukraine quickly came back to the negotiating table. US President Donald Trump suspended the delivery of U.S. military aid to Ukraine on Monday, just days after he and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a confrontation at the White House.