On Tuesday 25 February, the President of the European Council, António Costa, announced that the European leaders would be meeting on Wednesday, by videoconference, to listen to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has just returned from the United States, where he met with US President Donald Trump.
“To prepare for the Extraordinary European Council on 6 March, I am organising a videoconference of Council members tomorrow morning to hear a debriefing from President Emmanuel Macron on his recent visit to Washington DC”, highlighted Mr Costa.
Before the summit on Sunday, a number of European leaders will meet in London with their counterpart, Keir Starmer, to discuss defence. “We will be in London on Sunday, with our British friends and a group of leaders, to discuss these joint defence plans”, announced Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at a press briefing with Mr Costa on Tuesday.
Mr Starmer is travelling to Washington on Thursday. For her part, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, will be in the United States on Wednesday and Thursday to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The President of the European Council said that the summit on 6 March should allow Member States to discuss how Europeans can increase their support for Ukraine now “so that Ukraine is stronger in the war and in future negotiations”. Mr Tusk said that “on 6 March, we will strengthen Ukraine’s defence against Russia and weaken Russia”.
The summit will also be an opportunity to discuss European defence. After the retreat on 3 February, “now is the time to act, to make a decision, to deliver”, said Mr Costa. He recalled that the European Commission would be presenting a package of proposals to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities (see EUROPE 13586/1). According to Emmanuel Macron, the aim of these proposals is to increase short-term funding for defence. “We need innovative financing to have much more common investment as Europeans”, he added in an interview with Fox News on 24 February, after his meeting with Mr Trump. The summit will also provide an opportunity to discuss the High Representative of the Union’s new initiative to step up military support for Ukraine.
According to Mr Tusk, the summit will also provide an opportunity to try “not only to strengthen European unity, but also to cooperate very closely on defence issues, on Ukraine and Russia, on the common security policy with Great Britain, Norway, etc.”. He added: “Whatever the difficulties and circumstances, Europe has an interest in strengthening cooperation with the United States as part of our common security”.
The situation in Ukraine will also be discussed at the European Council on 20 and 21 March. According to Polish Minister Adam Szłapka, in the run-up to the summit, the European Affairs Ministers held “a long debate on support for Ukraine” on Tuesday 25 February. “You can hear today a determination to strengthen support for Ukraine”, he explained, citing various ideas, such as the use of frozen Russian assets. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Justine Manaud)