EU leaders to discuss Trump's tariff policy and defense against Russia
Photo: EU leaders will discuss Trump and protecting the continent from Putin (Getty Images)
European Union leaders will meet on February 3 to discuss how to strengthen the continent's defense against Russia and how to deal with US President Donald Trump after he decided to impose tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China, Reuters reports.
At the Royal Palace, which has been converted into a conference center in Brussels, the leaders of the 27 EU countries will also have lunch with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and dinner with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Antonio Costa, president of the European Council of EU leaders, said that the one-day meeting will not be an official summit. It will be devoted to defense policy without any official statements or decisions.
The first session will focus on geopolitics and relations with the United States, meaning that Trump's sweeping weekend decision to impose tariffs is sure to be addressed, especially given EU officials' fears that they may soon face similar measures.
Trump, who began his second term as president on January 20, will also play an important role in defense talks as he has demanded that European countries spend much more on their security and rely less on the United States through the NATO security alliance.
Trump's call for EU member Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, as well as his refusal to rule out military action or economic pressure to force Copenhagen to act, also increased tensions in transatlantic relations.
EU leaders are expected to discuss what military capabilities they will need in the coming years, how they can be financed, and how they can work more closely together on joint projects.
“Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for its own defense,” Costa said in a letter to the leaders. “It needs to become more resilient, more efficient, more autonomous and a more reliable security and defence actor.”
Finding funding
According to diplomats, discussions on funding will be particularly challenging, as many European countries have little room in their public finances to significantly increase spending.
Some countries, such as the Baltic states and France, favor joint EU borrowing for defense spending. But Germany and the Netherlands are strongly opposed.
According to some diplomats, one compromise could be to borrow money to finance loans rather than grants for defense projects.
In recent years, European countries have increased defense spending, especially after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, which led to war on the EU's borders.
But many EU leaders have said they will have to spend even more. Trump has said that European NATO members should spend 5% of GDP on defense, a figure that no member of the alliance, including the United States, currently reaches.
According to EU estimates, last year, EU countries spent an average of 1.9% of GDP on defense, about 326 billion euros. According to the EU, this is 30% more than in 2021. But it also hides the big differences between EU countries.
Poland and the Baltic states are among the countries with the highest defense spending as a percentage of GDP, with Warsaw leading the way with more than 4.1%, according to NATO estimates. But some of the EU's largest economies, such as Italy and Spain, spend much less - around 1.5% and 1.3% respectively.
