Quotes
Russia does not threaten France or the United Kingdom. Here in the United Kingdom, they are very good at inventing threats.”
Andrei Kelin told Sky News
When Zelensky inevitably comes back to the White House what do you expect from him?”
A journalist asked the presidentAll of this is silly things which have been invented by politicians whose position is very shaky right now.”
He continuedNext Monday, I have a visit planned to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with the Crown Prince. After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners. Ukraine is most interested in peace,
he saidYou challenged us to step up on Ukraine, on defense spending, on European security. And I say to you that we have, we are, and we will further,
Healey said
European leadership of NATO, led by the U.K., led by others, is, we believe, the future of defense on the continent,
Hegseth saidWe're very encouraged by the signs we're seeing. Ultimately, he will make the determination. But it is a pause for now,
Hegseth saidWhat the president has also said time and time again is, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,
he added
In order to maintain enduring peace, there’s a security aspect to it,
Hegseth said
These kind of signals probably are messages from Trump that you should take your defense very seriously — so for me it’s quite understandable,
said Michal
It’s usually the case that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,
said Bart De Wever, the Belgian prime ministerUkraine’s, Europe’s, transatlantic and global security are intertwined.”
For the avoidance of doubt, they addedRussia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its repercussions for European and global security in a changing environment constitute an existential challenge for the EU,
it added
The European Council stresses that Europe must become more sovereign, more responsible for its own defense and better equipped to act and deal autonomously with immediate and future challenges and threats with a 360° approach,
it said in a statementHungary did not sign onto a joint statement of support after the European Council meeting,
Jeanna said
We are very thankful that we are not alone,
said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the meetingAchieving ‘peace through strength’ requires Ukraine to be in the strongest possible position, with Ukraine’s own robust military and defense capabilities as an essential component,
an earlier draft joint statement seen by POLITICO readWith Trump only putting pressure on Ukraine to negotiate, no questions have been asked of Putin’s terms for a deal, and no pressure has been applied on him by the White House. It is outrageous,
European diplomats complain
We see that it is not only Russia and the axis of evil trying to destroy the world order, but the US is actually destroying it completely.”
IndeedWe will know very soon if the US has set its face against helping Europe, and what its explanation is
said one European diplomat