A Watershed Moment: EU Leaders Agree Huge Defence Spending Rise

Push to support Ukraine after US halted aid and sharing of intelligence

- Jennifer Rankin

European leaders holding emergency talks in Brussels have agreed on a huge increase to defence spending amid a drive to shore up support for Ukraine after Donald Trump halted US military aid and intelligence sharing.

But the show of unity was marred by Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who last night failed to endorse an EU statement on Ukraine countering Trump's Russia-friendly negotiating stance.

The 26 other EU leaders, including Orbán's ally, the Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, "firmly supported" the statement without Hungary. "There can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine," stated the draft statement, a response to Trump's attempt to sideline Europe and Kyiv.

Earlier in the day, arriving at the summit, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said: "We are very thankful that we are not alone."

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, who presented leaders with an €800bn (£670bn) plan to increase European defence spending, said it was "a watershed moment for Europe" and also for Ukraine.

Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, set the tone of the meeting: "Spend, spend, spend on defence and deterrence. That is the most important message, and at the same time, of course, continue to support Ukraine because we want peace in Europe."

Zelenskyy was applauded by EU leaders as he shook their hands and was embraced by several around the table at the start of the meeting. It was a stark contrast to the hostility from Washington, where US officials doubled down on the decision to cut intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

The US envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said it was done to show the US was serious about ending the war: "The best way I can describe it is sort of like hitting a mule with a two by four across the nose. You get their attention."