Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The summit of the leaders of the European Union countries kicked off this afternoon in Brussels. It is a special summit to discuss the continued support for Ukraine and European defense. We come at a very important time, according to the statements of the European leaders upon arrival at the meeting venue. The President of Lithuania, Gitas Nauseda, stressed the importance of finding a way to stop the war in Ukraine, which is putting great pressure on the member states. He expressed his hope that lengthy discussions will be held on this matter, but the most important thing is to come out with clear results. He praised the proposals presented on the meeting table, especially the plan put forward by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, regarding defense spending, which amounts to 800 billion euros. The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said, "We are living a decisive moment for Ukraine and European security." The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was invited to the meeting. In conjunction with the summit, it was announced by the federal institutions that 326 billion were spent by the member states on defense in 2024. Regarding the file of supporting Ukraine, the European Union institutions in Brussels said that there is new momentum regarding the situation In Ukraine. EU leaders will discuss how the EU can further support Ukraine, and the principles that must be respected in the future. In this context, they will exchange views on European contributions to the necessary security guarantees required to ensure lasting peace in Ukraine. “The EU and its Member States are ready to take more responsibility for European security,” EU President Antonio Costa said a few days ago.

Since the start of Russia’s military aggression, the EU and its Member States have provided nearly €135 billion to support Ukraine and its people, including €48.7 billion to support the Ukrainian armed forces.

The EU has also adopted unprecedented sanctions against Russia: the latest sanctions, adopted on 24 February 2025, target key areas of the Russian economy, including banking, Putin’s shadow fleet, and goods and technologies in the industrial and energy sectors.

On European defence
At a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on 3 February, EU leaders discussed how to strengthen European defence in terms of collective capabilities, financing and strategic partnerships. Building on this discussion and in light of the urgency of the situation in Ukraine, leaders will aim to take the first decisions to help Europe become more sovereign, more capable and better equipped to deal with current and future security challenges.

The EU and its Member States are committed to spending more and better together on defence, and have already done so Decisive action in this regard. Between 2021 and 2024, the total defence spending of the member states increased by more than 30%, to an estimated €326 billion, which is about 1.9% of the EU’s GDP.
According to media reports in Brussels, the 27 leaders, meeting at a special summit held in response to the US-Russia talks, will try to show unity and resolve in their collective support for Ukraine and answer some of the most pressing questions, such as what kind of security guarantees the EU can provide, how much additional money it is willing to allocate and how far it can go to compensate for America’s absence.
The European news network in Brussels added, “Euronews”, but the efforts to unite the ranks may be hampered by Viktor Orban, who has fully aligned himself with the new US administration and has threatened to block any new initiative that could, in his view, undermine Trump’s efforts to strike deals. The Hungarian prime minister in particular opposes the "peace through strength" approach because it involves providing more military aid to Kiev.