Uncertainty remains about whether any plans will be finalized when the 27 leaders reconvene in Brussels at the end of October. Questions and a lack of time prevented progress, according to three diplomats and officials.
European Council President António Costa, who led the meeting, emphasized the urgent need “to prepare decisions for the security of our continent,” urging leaders to be ready for agreements in three weeks.
Officials were quick to downplay expectations for the summit to yield significant results. “There was never an expectation for overnight decisions on these complex issues that involve national sovereignty,” said a fourth official informed about the discussions.
‘They are testing us’
Yet the indecision contrasted sharply with the threat. As leaders deliberated, Germany faced drone sightings over critical infrastructure, as confirmed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who criticized the drone policy.
A scheduled discussion on supporting Ukraine was postponed and reduced to a final hour.
Costa intended to reveal plans, initially reported by POLITICO, to simplify EU rules to expedite Kyiv’s accession and bypass Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s veto. The proposal was barely discussed, although Orbán criticized it.
“We meet as Russia intensifies its attacks in Ukraine,” Denmark’s Frederiksen stated after the summit. “They are threatening and testing us, and they will not stop.”
The challenge remains unchanged from the previous day. “Now it is up to us to deliver,” she said.
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