European leaders held talks on Ukraine and defense
At a meeting in Brussels yesterday, leaders of the E.U.’s 27 countries discussed how to bolster both the continent’s defenses and its support for Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, called it a “watershed moment.”
The goal for Europe is to better arm itself to deal with Russia without as much backup from the U.S. To reach that objective, a plan from the Commission would offer 150 billion euros in loans to invest in missile defense, anti-drone systems and other defense technologies.
The leaders also reviewed a peace plan for Ukraine and ways to support it financially and possibly with troops. “We are very thankful that we are not alone,” said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the meeting.
Jeanna Smialek, our Brussels bureau chief, told me as the meeting was ongoing that E.U. leaders were mostly “vowing to stand by Ukraine.” But it wasn’t quite unanimous.
“Hungary did not sign onto a joint statement of support after the European Council meeting,” Jeanna said. It was “the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion that the E.U.’s unanimity on such a statement has broken.”
Hungary has, in the past, been reluctant to join an E.U. consensus on Ukraine.
U.S.-Ukraine talks: Steve Witkoff, a Trump envoy, said that U.S. and Ukrainian officials plan to meet next week in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war.
Nuclear umbrella: The French President, Emmanuel Macron, said France is willing to discuss extending the protection afforded by its nuclear arsenal to European allies.
On the battlefield: A Russian missile hit a hotel yesterday in Zelensky’s hometown in central Ukraine, killing at least four people.
Trump gave Canada and Mexico a tariff reprieve
President Trump yesterday paused for one month new tariffs on exports to the U.S. from Mexico and Canada, saying he would exempt products covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
The move came a day after he granted a 30-day reprieve to automakers, who had complained to the president that his sweeping 25 percent tariffs would severely damage them.
Trump’s moves have turned into a game of brinkmanship with the North American economy. Stock markets tumbled and confusion spread among industries that depend on trade with Canada and Mexico, two of the U.S.’s largest trading partners.
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Who is funding Britain’s populist leader?
Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform U.K. party has surged in British polls. Yesterday, its donation figures for the final quarter of 2024 were released. In total, the party raised 4.75 million pounds last year, up from less than 160,000 pounds in 2023.
The Times analyzed every donation. We found an influx of funding from fossil fuel investors, climate skeptics and multimillionaires. A third of the money came from former donors to the Conservative Party, showing the danger that the Tories face from a group that models itself on Trump’s MAGA movement.
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