ReutersFILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission in Brussels
The heads of the European Union’s 27 member nations will meet Thursday in Brussels to discuss tougher sanctions on Russia, ways to prevent painful new US tariffs, and how to make their voices heard in the Middle East conflicts.Most of the leaders will arrive from a brief but intense NATO summit where they pledged a big boost in defence spending, and papered over some of their differences with US President Donald Trump.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join the EU summit by videoconference, after meeting Trump on Wednesday. US-led NATO downgraded Ukraine from a top priority to a side player this week, but Russia’s war in Ukraine remains of paramount concern for the EU.Members will be discussing an 18th round of sanctions against Russia and whether to maintain a price cap on Russian oil, measures that some nations oppose because it could raise energy prices.Live EventsMeanwhile, Trump’s threatened tariffs are weighing on the EU, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of all 27 member countries. He lashed out at Spain on Wednesday for not spending more on defence and suggested yet more tariffs. France’s president called Trump to task for starting a trade war with long time allies.European leaders are also concerned about fallout from the wars in the Middle East, and the EU is pushing to revive diplomatic negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.EU members have internal disagreements to overcome. They are divided over what to do about European policy toward Israel because of its conduct in Gaza. And left-leaning parties are attacking European Commissioner Ursula von Der Leyen’s pivot away from the EU’s climate leadership in favour of military investment.Defence and security are likely to top the agenda. The summit will end with a statement of conclusions that will set the agenda for the bloc for the next four months and can be seen as a bellwether for political sentiment in Europe on major regional and global issues.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onRussia sanctionsEU leaders meetingEuropean UnionUS tariffsMiddle East conflictsDonald TrumpUkrainian President Zelenskyydefense spendingIran nuclear negotiationsUnited States(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless
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