Zelenskyy joins EU leaders’ meeting over €800bn defence plan after Macron’s stark Russia warning – Europe live

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre has been speaking in the country’s parliament in the last few minutes, announcing plans to “significantly” increase spending to help Ukraine defend itself.

He warned that the country was facing “the most serious security situation … since the second world war.”

In a wide-ranging speech, he spoke of difficulties in engaging with the new US administration under Donald Trump, and associated uncertainty about its intentions – but inisted that he hoped to continue existing cooperation with Washington.

He was particularly concerned about “disheartening” scenes in the Oval Office last week, and any potential divide between European allies and the US.

Addressing the US administration, he said he shared their desire to reach a peace deal, and stressed that “no one wants peace more than Ukraine,” but warned against “naive” views of Russia.

Støre called the US pause in military aid for Ukraine “very regrettable,” and pointedly praised the UK and France for taking a leading role in European support for Ukraine.

He said he would meet with leaders of other parties later today to discuss the details, with a plan to propose broader changes by summer. But he already signalled his support for faster military procurement and production.

Norway has been facing growing criticism from allies over its support for Ukraine, much lower as a percentage of GDP than most countries in the region, according to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker.

The prime minister also spoke about the need for the Norwegian society to be better prepared for any potential crises, repeating calls to strenghten civilian resilience.

Separately, Støre also spoke about his concerns about being caught up in a trade war between the US and the EU.

Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal said that “to reach just and lasting peace, Europe needs to show strength.”

Posting before the EU summit today, he said in a social media update that “Ukrainians want Russia’s aggression to end, so does Europe.”

“We must step up military aid to Ukraine, increase pressure on Russia and strengthen European defence,” he added.

What to expect from today’s EU summit – five things to watch out for

Jennifer Rankin

Brussels correspondent

EU leaders meeting for an emergency summit in Brussels are expected to largely endorse the €800bn “ReArm Europe” plan outlined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier this week.

“Europe must become more sovereign, more responsible for its own defence and better equipped to act and deal autonomously with immediate and future challenges and threats,” states the latest draft conclusions seen by the Guardian.

Von der Leyen proposed a €150bn loan scheme to help member states buy pan-European capabilities together, plus loosening EU fiscal rules that will help governments fund €650bn in potential extra defence spending without being penalised by the Commission, as well as other measures.

But that is not the only issue on the table.

Here are five interesting things to watch:

• What do EU leaders think about Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to extend France’s nuclear umbrella to other European nations? Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz is also in town for meeting key players, although won’t be at the summit talks.

• Support for Ukraine. When European Council President António Costa called the summit he promised “we will take decisions on our support for Ukraine”. Ahead of the summit EU officials have played down suggestions there will be a number for a military aid package for Ukraine for 2025 proposed by the EU high representative Kaja Kallas.

• And on that subject… how difficult will Viktor Orbán be? Hungary is already threatening to veto conclusions on Ukraine that set out the EU’s position and push back against Donald Trump’s attempt to make a deal with Vladimir Putin that sidelines Europe, including Ukraine.

• What the EU’s role in security guarantees for Ukraine might be. So far only France and the UK have said they would be ready to send troops to Ukraine, but EU leaders are expected to discuss what role the union could play if any. In theory this could be financial support, or setting up an EU mission.

Romanian authorities detained six people on an alleged organised criminal group accusing them of treason and plans to “undermine the sovereignty and independence of the Romanian state,” the country’s Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism Crimes, or DIICOT, said.

The group allegedly worked with “agents of a foreign power,” both on territory of Romania and Russia, and was formed in “a military-type structure” involving a retired major general.

The investigators believe they carried out secret discussions conspiring to lead to Romania’s exit from Nato and “the removal of the constitutional order,” as well as changes to the country’s name, flag, and anthem.

Two members of the group are alleged to have travelled to Moscow in January to seek Russia’s support for their aims.

Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov that Poland will continue to logistically support Ukraine as it started delivering its 46th aid package, worth up to €200m.

He stressed the relevance of the logistics hub in Rzeszów-Jasionka and continuing work with Ukrainian soldiers, with nearly 28,000 trained in Poland.

“We continue to support Ukraine as we have from the first day of the war, it is incredibly important for us,” he said.

Kosiniak-Kamysz also said that a return to talks between Ukraine and US “gives hope for just peace,” as he said Poland was a strong supporter of both “transatlantic relations and increasing European [defence] capabilities.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a number of foreign aid workers were at a hotel in his hometown Kryvyi Rih struck by a Russian missile overnight.

At least four people were dead and more than 30 injured in the attack, with 14 people rescued from rubble.

Zelenskyy said:

A ballistic missile struck an ordinary hotel. Just before the attack, volunteers from a humanitarian organisation – citizens of Ukraine, the United States, and the United Kingdom – had checked into the hotel. They survived because they managed to get down from their rooms in time.

Reporting on the attack, Zelenskyy insisted:

There must be no pause in the pressure on Russia to stop this war and terror against life.

France is offering intelligence to Ukraine, French defence minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday, with Paris stepping in to help and fill the void left after the US suspended its intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

Speaking to France Inter radio, he also said that president Macron asked him to accelerate the French aid packages “to compensate” for the suspended US aid.

If you wonder what The Guardian makes of Merz’s deficit plans, here’s our editorial setting our view:

In a famously cautious political culture, Mr Merz’s bid to bypass legal restrictions on government debt represents a seismic shift. It would permit a step-change in defence spending for years to come, putting Germany in a leadership position as Europe seeks strategic autonomy from the United States.

Mr Merz, a former investment banker, has been a deficit hawk and economic liberal throughout his career. It is an irony of fate that it should fall to him to challenge the debt-aversion that has hobbled Germany’s ability to react to new geopolitical realities. But the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader should be congratulated for having the political courage to read the signs of the times.

Across Europe, poorly performing economies and a lack of investment have fuelled distrust in mainstream politics, and contributed to the dangerous rise of the Trumpian far right. In Germany, the constitutional “debt brake” – in effect a legal requirement to balance budgets – was originally conceived as a means of protecting younger generations from the consequences of risky borrowing. In these tumultuous times, amid multiple costly challenges, it has instead become an obstacle to investing in their future.

Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels is expected to license greater national spending on defence. But for a new era characterised by threats at home and abroad, a sea change in the EU’s overall approach to debt and deficits, similar to that agreed by Mr Merz with the SPD, is needed.

Echoing the words of the former European Central Bank chief, Mario Draghi, during the eurozone crisis, Mr Merz pledged on Tuesday to do “whatever it takes” to protect freedom and peace. He will need the support of the Greens, as well as the SPD, to push his gamechanging proposals through.

It is in the overwhelming interests of Germany and Europe that he gets it.

I told you he was keen to hit the ground running!

Germany’s presumed next chancellor Friedrich Merz is out of his bed early this morning and already in meetings, starting with European Council president António Costa, just hours before the emergency European Council meeting on Ukraine.

It’s a good opportunity for the two leaders to build rapport and develop work relationship before Merz gets into the Bundeskanzleramt and discuss what the presumed next German leader thinks of many of the ideas to be discussed by the EU leaders later today – and his proposed (massive) investment in defence and infrastructure.

Last night, Merz also met with the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.

Morning opening: Five minutes to midnight

Jakub Krupa

Four days after the London summit on Sunday, European leaders meet again – this time in Brussels and with a complete line-up, including both the (very keen) Baltics and the (very much not keen) Hungarians and Slovaks – to discuss what’s next for Ukraine.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday for a summit to discuss an €800bn (£660bn) plan to bolster Europe’s defence industry, increase military capability and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine.

In a dramatic intervention on Wednesday evening, French president Emmanuel Macron warned in a TV address that Russian aggression would not stop at Ukraine and was a direct threat to France and Europe.

He further said said he had decided “to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent by our [nuclear] deterrent” but stressed any use of France’s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.

Macron said in his address: “I want to believe the US will stay by our side. But we have to be ready if that isn’t the case.

“Europe’s future should not be decided in Washington or Moscow, and yes the threat from the east is returning. And the innocence of these 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall is over.”

The French president’s move comes in response to a push by German election winner Friedrich Merz, who recently called for a discussion on “nuclear sharing” with France. He is not the German chancellor just yet, but will be in Brussels this morning too, joining informal talks with EU leaders. He is keen to hit the ground running, as proven by his major “bazooka” plan for German defence and infrastructure.

After Macron’s address, Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the French president, saying: “Peace must be real, not just a word – it cannot mean Ukraine’s capitulation or collapse. It must be just, reliable, and lasting, and this can only be achieved through strong and long-term security guarantees – for Ukraine, Europe, and the entire world.”

He will hope that they can engineer how this could work over a working lunch in Brussels.

European leaders are increasingly determined to act after Donald Trump ordered a pause on all critical US military aid for Ukraine against Russia, three years into the invasion, following an explosive public confrontation in the Oval Office last week with Zelenskyy.

There are some early signs that the two sides are back talking about next steps, with Zelenskyy saying last night that “the Ukrainian and American teams began working on an upcoming meeting,” and they “hope to see some results next week.”

But the EU is no longer happy to trust and support this process hope for the best. Not any more.

Despite it being one of the most annoying cliches in politics, this summit really does feel like five minutes to midnight.

We will bring you the latest here.

It’s Thursday, 6 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.

Good morning.