European Union leaders were gathered for emergency talks in Brussels on Thursday, as French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to extend France's nuclear umbrella to its European allies gained momentum, amid growing concerns about future US support for Ukraine.
The summit, which brought together leaders from all 27 EU nations, comes just days after US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also attended the Brussels gathering.
"During all this period, and last week, you stayed with us... these are not just words, we feel it," Zelensky told European leaders, expressing gratitude that Ukrainians "are not alone" in their fight against Russian aggression.
Baltic nations and Poland welcomed Macron's proposal to launch talks about extending France's nuclear deterrent capabilities to help protect European allies against Russian threats.
France is the EU's only nuclear power, following the United Kingdom's exit from the bloc, and Macron's willingness to discuss sharing its nuclear deterrent represents a significant shift in European defence policy.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called it a "very interesting idea" with "high expectations, because a nuclear umbrella would serve as really very serious deterrence towards Russia".
Speaking ahead of the summit, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described Macron's position as "very promising".
The French president had earlier warned that Europe must prepare for the possibility that US support might waver.
"Europe must be ready against the Russian threat, in case its traditional ally, the United States, is no longer by its side," Macron said.
France says its intelligence sharing with Ukraine not affected by US freeze
Russian rebukes
Russia said on Thursday it would not accept a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, rejecting proposals of a one-month halt in fighting or a stop to aerial and naval attacks – ideas floated by both Zelensky and Macron.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said any European peacekeeping force sent to Ukraine "would be regarded as the official involvement of NATO in the war".
The Kremlin also condemned Macron's warning about Russia's threat to Europe, with some officials describing the French leader as "detached from reality".
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's "coalition of the willing" initiative to support Ukraine appears to be gaining traction.
British officials held talks on Wednesday with approximately 20 countries interested in contributing to this coalition, Reuters news agency reported, citing a UK official.
"It shows the willingness of the coalition of the willing to convene and the desire of a number of different countries to play their part," the official said, adding that the effort remains in "early stages" and the situation is "very fluid".
The official declined to name which countries had expressed interest but noted they were "mostly European and Commonwealth parties".
Starmer announced on Sunday that the UK, France and other nations would form a coalition to develop plans offering Ukraine support, in the event of a peace deal ending Russia's war.
Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed his opposition to any "dictated peace" in Ukraine, as several European countries pledged additional weapons for Ukraine.
