EU leaders agree to step up defense efforts

BRUSSELS — 

European Union leaders agreed Monday to bash much to bolster their defenses against Russia and different threats by hiking spending and filling gaps successful their subject capabilities.

"A batch has been done already but we request to bash more. We request to bash it better, stronger, faster - and we request to bash it together," Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council of EU leaders, said aft a one-day acme connected defence successful Brussels.

However, the leaders near mostly unanswered the question of however their planned surge successful defence spending would beryllium paid for.

European countries person already ramped up defence spending successful caller years, successful effect to Russia's 2022 penetration of Ukraine and a increasing presumption that they cannot trust truthful overmuch connected the United States to support the continent successful years to come.

Their efforts person been fueled by questions astir U.S. President Donald Trump's committedness to the NATO information confederation and by his demands for European nations to walk much connected the continent's defenses.

The commencement of the EU acme was overshadowed by Trump declaring astatine the play that helium volition soon enforce tariffs connected imports from the EU, having ordered similar measures connected goods from Canada and Mexico - which were paused connected Monday - and from China.

The EU leaders agreed to absorption connected filling captious gaps successful their defenses specified arsenic aerial and rocket defense, missiles, ammunition and subject transport, Costa told reporters.

The leaders discussed however specified priorities could beryllium funded but did not scope a elaborate agreement. The European Commission, however, agreed to look for flexibility successful rules it oversees connected EU countries' nationalist finances to marque defence spending easier.

"Europe needs, basically, a surge successful defense. And for that, our defence concern basal indispensable beryllium strengthened," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters aft the summit.

"For many, galore years, we person under-invested successful defense. Thus, there's a large urgency to summation the defence spending with a large magnitude," she said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer besides took portion successful the Brussels talks.

Spending hike

Last year, EU countries spent an mean of 1.9% of GDP connected defense, oregon astir $334.5 cardinal - a 30% summation connected 2021, according to EU estimates.

But galore EU leaders person said they volition request to walk adjacent more. The Commission, the EU's enforcement body, has estimated the bloc whitethorn request to walk an other $510 cardinal implicit the adjacent decennary to capable the captious gaps successful European defenses.

Trump has said NATO's European members should spend 5% of GDP connected defence - a fig nary subordinate of the confederation including the United States presently reaches.

Von der Leyen and Costa said the EU had respective imaginable defense-financing options, including nationalist spending, an expanded relation for the EU's European Investment Bank and backstage capital.

Leaders avoided straight addressing successful nationalist the politically delicate question of whether the EU should contented associated indebtedness to wage for defence spending.

Diplomats accidental borrowing to concern loans alternatively than grants for subject projects whitethorn beryllium a imaginable compromise.