EU Unveils Defense Package Amid Trump Threats; Hungary Not Backing Ukraine (Worthy News Focus)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The European Union rushed to unveil its largest defense plan on record as U.S. President Donald J. Trump threatened not to protect NATO military alliance allies if they do not pay more for their defense.
The EU’s chief executive, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, presented to leaders an 800 billion euros (about $863 billion) plan to increase European defense spending, calling it “a watershed moment for Europe” and Ukraine.
Von der Leyen later told reporters that if Trump wanted “peace through strength,” this would only be possible with the EU and its member states “because preconditions have to be met.”
Her pledge came as 6,400 kilometers (3,980 miles) away, sitting behind his desk in the Oval Office of the White House, Trump cast doubt on his willingness to defend Washington’s NATO allies, saying: “It’s common sense, right? If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.”
Trump said he had been of this view for years and shared it with NATO allies during his 2017-2021 presidential term.
Those efforts prompted more spending from other members of the 75-year-old transatlantic alliance, he said, but that “even now, it’s not enough.” He added: “They should be paying more.”
It added to anxiety in Brussels, with most EU nations also being members of NATO.
While they agreed on defense spending, Hungary marred the summit by failing to back more military aid to Ukraine.
HUNGARY OPPOSING STATEMENT
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán failed to endorse an EU statement on Ukraine, pushing back against Trump’s Russia-friendly negotiating stance.
The 26 other EU leaders, including Orbán’s ally Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, “firmly supported” the statement. “There can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine,” said the statement, a response to Trump’s perceived attempt to sideline Europe and Kyiv.
The European Council President António Costa called the meeting and noted that “Hungary has a different strategic approach on Ukraine, but that means Hungary is isolated among the 27.”
However, Orbán, a close ally of Trump, defended his decision, saying: “Many European leaders – Brussels bureaucrats and heads of member states – oppose the U.S. administration’s endeavors. They would rather continue the war as long as it takes.”
He added on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that “Hungary’s position remained the same today as it has for the past three years. We believe that there is no solution on the battlefield, and support the U.S. peace plan.”
Arriving at the summit was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose home city was hit by a Russian missile late Wednesday, killing at least two people and injuring many more. “We are very thankful that we are not alone,” he said about the EU summit.
France has been among the nations ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine after a peace deal was signed between Kyiv and Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
LEARNING FROM NAPOLEON
Responding to a question on Trump’s comments questioning whether France would come to the U.S. rescue if it were attacked, President Emmanuel Macron recalled that France and other European countries joined US troops in fighting in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attacks against the United States in 2001.
“Not only the French, but the Europeans were there when we were called for Afghanistan. And by the way, they weren’t politely warned when (the US left Afghanistan),” Macron said.
“We are loyal and faithful allies.”
He also condemned Russia for questioning his decision to put other European countries under France’s nuclear arms umbrella. He drew comparisons with France’s leader Napoleon’s failed conquest of Russia.
I know President Putin well. If he’s reacting like that, it’s because he knows what I said is true,” Macron told reporters at Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels.
“He’s making a historical error: Napoleon waged conquests. The only imperialistic power I see in Europe right now is Russia,” he said, responding to a question posed by a Russian journalist in exile in France.
Macron said he knew Putin could betray his word because he had done just that when it did not respect the Minsk agreements signed with France, Germany, and Ukraine after the invasion of Crimea in 2014.
(With additional reporting by the Worthy News Europe Bureau in Budapest.)
If you are interested in articles produced by Worthy News, please check out our FREE sydication service available to churches or online Christian ministries. To find out more, visit Worthy Plugins.