The heads of state and government of the Twenty-Seven, the head of NATO, Mark Rutte, and the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, will meet on February 3 in Belgium for an exceptional meeting devoted to European defense, announced the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
This meeting will take place two weeks after the inauguration of Donald Trump, on January 20. The attitude of the future American administration on Western support for Ukraine in its war against Russia is a subject of great concern to Europeans and NATO.
“I think we share the same assessment of the threats facing Europe”wrote Antonio Costa in his letter of invitation to the leaders, referring to the war in Ukraine, but also the situation in the Middle East.
According to the president of the European Council, the body which represents the Twenty-Seven, the leaders’ discussion will be centered around “two main principles”. “First, Europe must take greater responsibility for its own defense”he estimates in his missive. “It must become more resilient, more efficient, more autonomous”lists the former Portuguese prime minister. “In doing so, it will become a stronger transatlantic partner, including within the framework of NATO”he says.
And for good reason: the next American president, Donald Trump, regularly urges Europeans to pay much more if they want to continue to benefit from American protection.
In his letter of invitation, Antonio Costa also mentions a “common interest in cooperating more closely at European level” on defense issues, in order to maximize economies of scale. All this, noting that the “Member States will always be responsible for their armed forces”.
This informal meeting, or ” retirement “will take place at the Château de Limont, about twenty kilometers from the city of Liège, in Belgium. It will be the first of this type in the presence of the United Kingdom, after years of tensions linked to Brexit.
