United Europe is Putin’s Nightmare, Says Tusk Ahead of EU Summit

Speaking to reporters before boarding a flight to Brussels, where he will join other EU leaders for the roundtable meeting, Donald Tusk said European leaders will take the first step of Europe’s “most important project” by committing to increase defense spending in a show of unity against Russian aggression.

“For Putin, a Europe united on the issue of security is a nightmare,” he added.

A day earlier, the European Commission unveiled a €150 billion plan to reshape the bloc’s defense policy, providing funding for “large-scale pan-European projects” as well as helping member states replenish their stocks of arms.

The drive to centralize some of the EU’s military projects comes amid uncertainty about the NATO military alliance and economic ties with the United States, following the return of President Donald Trump to the White House.

Among the projects highlighted in the commission’s white paper is Poland’s Eastern Shield initiative, which involves improving defenses along the country’s eastern frontier with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Moscow-allied Belarus.

Tusk told reporters that Poland had to persuade fellow EU members that securing the border was a key venture.

“I had to convince many partners in Europe that the security of Europe, NATO, the whole continent largely depends on how secure the border between Europe and Russia and Belarus will be; that is our Polish border,” he said.

All EU leaders, with the exception of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, are expected to reaffirm their financial and military backing for Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Thursday’s summit, with the Ukrainian president set to kick off proceedings with an address over a video link.

Zelenskyy on Wednesday had an hour-long phone call with Trump where he confirmed Ukraine’s commitment to pausing attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin agreed to the proposal earlier in the week, but stopped short from accepting the U.S.’s plan for a 30-day general ceasefire.

Along with a broad discussion on defense and rearmament, EU leaders are set to address proposals on improving the bloc’s economic competitiveness, including investment in the technology sector.

The draft conclusions of the summit set deadlines for progress in cutting red tape, energy security and getting consumers to invest in the real economy, the Reuters news agency reported.