At the European summit held today in Britain, European nations reached agreements on both increasing aid to Ukraine and boosting their own defense spending. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as cited by The Guardian.
According to him, it was a "very good" meeting, and he has "every reason" to expect new announcements regarding increased defense expenditures from European countries.
"Today at the table, I heard new announcements, and I’m not going to share them with you because they (the European countries) should do that [themselves], but it was very good news that more European nations will be increasing their defense spending," Rutte said.
As the NATO Secretary General noted, there is currently no draft peace agreement for Ukraine, but "we must prepare for that moment and ensure that European countries are ready to assist with security guarantees."
Rutte emphasized that allies want to "make sure that Putin never attempts to attack Ukraine again"—because there will be "active Europeans in Ukraine."
Emergency Summit on Ukraine in Britain
As reported by UNIAN, against the backdrop of a sharp deterioration in relations between Ukraine and the U.S., European countries convened an emergency summit to discuss further support for Kyiv's defense efforts. Following the meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine needs to be turned into a "steel porcupine" so that Russia cannot swallow it.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already announced a military aid package worth £1.6 billion. This funding will support the production of British air defense missiles for Ukraine's needs.