Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
European meetings at the leaders' level have been held since Donald Trump arrived at the White House and Washington announced a set of plans or proposals, whether related to ending the war in Ukraine and the upcoming summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as plans related to imposing customs duties on imports from the European Union. The French President traveled to Washington two days ago in an attempt to learn more about Trump's intentions and achieve a convergence of views between the two sides of the Atlantic on the thorny issues between the two sides. After European leaders held a summit early this month, then a group of leaders held another summit in Paris, these leaders are meeting today via video conference to listen to French President Emmanuel Macron about the results of his talks with the US administration. A few days later, a new extraordinary summit of the leaders of the European Union member states will be held in Brussels, specifically on the sixth of next month, to assess matters in light of the latest developments.
According to media reports in Brussels, including a report by Playbook magazine, the European version of the American Politico magazine, European leaders - including the outgoing German Chancellor - will hold Olaf Scholz - An "extraordinary" meeting today to hear from French President Emmanuel Macron about his recent visit to the White House, where he corrected Donald Trump's statement about Europe's contribution to Ukraine and tried to persuade him to side with the West - rather than Russia.
Reports last night suggested that Kyiv had agreed to a deal pushed by the US to give up a large chunk of its mineral wealth in return for continued support from the new US administration. Trump suggested that President Volodymyr Zelensky might travel to Washington on Friday to sign it.
The US president said last night that Ukraine was getting: "$350 billion and a lot of ... military equipment and the right to continue fighting" in exchange for the minerals. Asked how long the US would continue to support Kyiv, Trump said: "Well, it could be for a while, maybe until we reach a deal with Russia."
EUCO chatroom: The video call this morning by EU leaders - which included the presidents of the European Commission and the Council - is homework for the special meeting called by Antonio Costa on March 6.
Memorandum of misunderstanding? European Commission spokespeople — under tight control of President Ursula von der Leyen — dismissed suggestions that the EU had offered Ukraine a tailored, fairer deal on vital raw materials on a trip to Kyiv — even though that is exactly what French Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné described it as. Séjourné’s team referred to it as a “new proposal.” Commission spokesman Thomas Regner said there was “no proposal.” Instead, Regner said, Brussels was talking about implementing an existing 2021 memorandum of understanding between Ukraine and the EU.

Order of events — Macron says ceasefire, then negotiations: As Macron explained in his Fox News interview, there will first be a truce between Russia and Ukraine, followed by deeper talks on territory, Ukraine’s reconstruction and security guarantees — including foreign troops guarding the border or bolstering Ukraine’s military. “I think it is possible to at least reach a truce and start negotiating a sustainable peace,” the French president said. And then, finally, a peace treaty. Britons abroad: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves for Washington this afternoon and will meet Trump at the White House on Thursday. Starmer will update European leaders when he holds his own defence meeting in the UK in the coming days. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said the meeting will take place on Sunday - while a senior Whitehall official said it was likely but they were still working on the exact date.
Line-up changes: Participants will be a different group of countries to the G11 that met in Paris last Monday, according to a Downing Street official.
In a bid to woo Trump, Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK’s defence spending would rise to 2.5 per cent from 2027. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described it as a “strong step from a long-standing partner”.
Ursula’s new weapon: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is introducing a new “tool” designed to boost the amount of money EU countries can spend on munitions, air defence and missiles.
Suppose the European Commission’s long-awaited strategy document on how to strengthen its defence industrial base is not ready until March 19. While that means there will be time to add final amendments based on the leaders’ discussion on March 6, it also means the Commission will miss its self-imposed deadline to deliver it within the first 100 days of von der Leyen’s term. March 19 is technically day 109. Why is Putin in a negotiating mood? Moscow may soon be struggling to finance the war, and financial breathing room may be just what the Russian leader is looking for, writes Agathe Demarais of the European Council on Foreign Relations.