European leaders find themselves plunged into a hostile new era of less cooperation from the United States, a greater threat from Russia, and an increasingly uncertain outlook for Ukraine. On Thursday, they will gather in Brussels to try to figure out what to do about that.
They will need to walk a fine line: Figuring out how to support Ukraine and bolster their own defenses while avoiding further alienating their tempestuous allies in Washington.
The specially called and much anticipated gathering will include the heads of state or government from the European Union’s 27 member countries and is the latest in a series of quickly arranged summits focused on defense.
They are expected to discuss how to finance a ramp up of European military spending, hoping to make the continent better armed to deal with Russia without as much backup from across the Atlantic. They will also review what a peace plan for Ukraine might look like, and how they can support it.
In some ways, the meeting marks the start of a new chapter for the European Union. Created to foster cooperation and peace, the bloc is being forced to contemplate its role in a world riven by conflict and animosity, even among allies.
The pressing question is whether the E.U., with its consensus-focused, clunky structure, can adapt itself quickly enough to ensure that Europe doesn’t get left behind as Mr. Trump rapidly changes the global order.
“There’s clearly a sense that, in a time like this, Europe needs to prepare for the worst,” said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.
In less than two months, President Trump has changed the game when it comes to security in Europe. He is demanding a rapid peace in Ukraine, and has prodded President Volodymyr Zelensky toward negotiations by berating him publicly and halting aid to his embattled nation. He opened talks with Russia without directly involving Europe, or Ukraine.
He has at the same time insisted that European nations spend more on their own defense, assailing members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for paying too little to protect themselves in an “unfair” system.
That one-two punch — and the disastrous meeting last week between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky — has forced European leaders to move with new urgency.
In the wake of the meltdown between the two leaders, Mr. Zelensky on Tuesday offered a course of action that he said could end the war, in a bid to appease Mr. Trump. He did so after days of counseling from the leaders of France and Britain, and although that outreach seemed to be received well by Mr. Trump, it remains unclear what happens next.
The United Kingdom and France have indicated a willingness to send troops as a peacekeeping force if a deal is reached, but it is an open question exactly how many nations might join in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain has called a “coalition of the willing.”
Nor is it clear how the E.U. will support such a coalition. What is clear is that the bloc wants to be in the conversation as the continent’s future is determined.
On Wednesday, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said he would talk with European allies about the possibility of using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent in the wake of threats from Russia.
In one sign that Europe appears to be pulling together more, several countries that are not in the bloc — including the U.K., Norway and Turkey — are expected to be briefed by top E.U. officials after the Thursday meeting, according to a European Union official.
Mr. Zelensky has been invited to the gathering and is expected to join, according to another E.U. official, although Mr. Zelensky’s office declined to comment on the upcoming meeting.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Despite the increased cooperation among nations, the bloc continues to struggle to speak with one voice on Ukraine at a moment when Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, has been vocal in his support of Mr. Trump and in his disagreement with his European colleagues over Ukraine.
E.U. officials have been discussing further aid for Ukraine, but plans for giving it a fresh pot of money are unlikely to be finalized on Thursday, according to a senior E.U. diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.
The discussions Thursday are also expected to go beyond Ukraine’s plight and focus on how Europe can better protect itself as a whole.
Among other things, leaders are expected to talk about a novel plan unveiled this week by Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the E.U.’s executive branch.
What she is calling a proposal to “re-arm” Europe would create a 150 billion euro loan program for defense investment, while making E.U. budget rules more flexible to enable countries to invest more without breaching tough deficit rules. In all, officials estimate that it could help to boost spending on security by as much as 800 billion euros.
As she unveiled the proposals on Tuesday, Ms. von der Leyen noted the import: “We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times.”
