Certainly! Here is the rewritten article with “Brussels Morning” replaced by “Eurotoday” in the final text:
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Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – EU leaders met with President Zelensky for the Special European Council and informally committed to investing more in defence.
EU gets ready for rearmament
On March 6, European leaders discussed defence expenditure and the situation in Ukraine. All member states except Hungary agreed on increasing military support and security guarantees for a lasting peace in the country.
The EU wants to take on more responsibility for its own security, explained President von der Leyen, which is why the Commission proposed a plan to mobilize up to 800 billion euros in defence expenditure and ensure flexibility in fiscal rules to allow member states to invest more.
“We are putting our money where our mouth is,”
said President of the EU Council Antonio Costa.
Despite rumours that he would attend online, President Zelensky travelled to Brussels and joined the meeting in person.
“It’s great that we are not alone. We feel it, we know it. Thank you so much for everything,”
he told the press before going in.
EU gets ready for rearmament
President von der Leyen’s ReArm Europe plan would allow member states to invest more – with 150 billion euros in loans – in defence without triggering the Excessive Deficit Procedure, using more EU budget funds and creating incentives to use them for defence-related investments.
The goal is to provide the Union with pan-European capabilities across domains, from air and missile defence to cyber and military mobility needs. This move aligns with the EU’s recent push to increase its autonomy and competitiveness on multiple fronts and to provide greater military support to Ukraine.
The proposal faced backlash from some MEPs, who accused von der Leyen of being “afraid of democracy.” MEP Mario Furore from The Left group described ReArm as a non-democratic plan, as it doesn’t directly involve the EU Parliament.
“This attempt to silence the voice of citizens’ representatives is unacceptable,”
Furore said.
Despite these criticisms, ReArm EU was welcomed positively by the Council.
The EU reclaims its role in negotiations over Ukraine
The European Union sought to regain its seat at the Ukraine war negotiation table. Leaders agreed that “there can be no negotiation that affects European security without Europe’s involvement,” reaffirming that Ukraine is part of the European family and that their futures are deeply intertwined.
The Special European Council was convened by EU Council President Antonio Costa precisely to address the shifting dynamics in the Ukraine war. As U.S. President Trump began pushing forward with his plan to end the war in Ukraine, Europe feared being sidelined.
“We all want peace through strength, and this is also in the interest of President Trump. If he wants to achieve this, it is only possible with the support of the European Union and its member states,”
said von der Leyen, emphasizing how the EU ensured Ukraine’s economic survival, secured energy supplies, and provided crucial military aid.
The idea behind the European rearmament plan is to ensure peace through deterrence, strengthening the EU’s defence capabilities while reinforcing Ukraine’s position in potential peace talks. Both President Costa and President von der Leyen agreed:
“The best security guarantee is the Ukrainian army.”
In alignment with this approach, French President Macron offered to extend the protection of France’s nuclear arsenal to its allies, including Ukraine. Additionally, German Chancellor Merz expressed his support for increasing military spending and pledged to do “whatever it takes” for defence.
However, unanimity was lacking regarding support for Ukraine. Hungarian President Orban opposed additional aid, aligning his stance with Trump’s views on negotiating an end to the war.
“Hungary is isolated,”
Costa remarked, asserting that one dissenting nation would not fracture EU unity.
“26 is more than one.”
European leaders will meet again on March 20-21, 2025, for the European Council, where they are expected to formally agree on these measures and take the next steps.
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Eurotoday is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. It publishes unique and independent coverage of international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, Eurotoday reports on EU policies and politics, significant developments in Member States, and international issues through a European lens.
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