Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs European leaders find themselves plunged into a hostile new era of less cooperation from the United States, a greater threat from Russia and an increasingly uncertain outlook for Ukraine. On Thursday, they are gathering in Brussels to try to figure out what to do about that.They are walking a fine line: They need to figure out how to support Ukraine and bolster their own defenses while avoiding further alienating their tempestuous allies in Washington.“This is a watershed moment for Europe — and Ukraine is part of our European family,” Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union’s executive arm, said as she walked into the gathering alongside Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.“Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself, to defend itself, as we have to put Ukraine in a position to protect itself,” she added.The specially called and much anticipated gathering includes the heads of state or government from the European Union’s 27 member countries and is the latest in a series of quickly arranged summits focused on defense.Leaders are poised to discuss how to finance a ramp up of European military spending, hoping to make the continent better armed to deal with Russia without as much backup from across the Atlantic. They will also review what a peace plan for Ukraine might look like, and how they can support it.“We are very thankful that we are not alone,” Mr. Zelensky said as he entered the meeting’s venue.In some ways, the gathering begins a new chapter for the European Union. Created to foster cooperation and peace, the bloc is being forced to contemplate its role in a world rived by conflict and animosity, even among allies.The pressing question is whether the E.U., with its consensus-focused, clunky structure, can adapt itself quickly enough to ensure that Europe doesn’t get left behind as President Trump rapidly changes the global order.“It is about damn time,” Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, told reporters before the meeting. “We are ready to put, finally, our money where our mouth is.”The sense that rapid action is needed was widespread.“The most important thing now is, to be very frank, to rearm Europe, and I don’t think we have a lot of time,” Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, told reporters as she walked into the meeting. “Spend, spend, spend on defense and deterrence.”In less than two months, Mr. Trump has changed the game when it comes to security in Europe. He is demanding a rapid peace in Ukraine, and has prodded Mr. Zelensky toward negotiations by berating him publicly and halting aid to his embattled nation. He opened talks with Russia without directly involving Europe, or Ukraine.He has at the same time insisted that European nations spend more on their own defense, assailing members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for paying too little to protect themselves in an “unfair” system.That one-two punch — and the disastrous meeting last week at the White House between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky — has forced European leaders to move with new urgency.“We are here today to take decisions and to deliver,” said António Costa, the president of another key E.U. institution, the European Council, who convened Thursday’s special meeting.On Tuesday, after the meltdown between the two leaders, Mr. Zelensky offered a course of action that he said could end the war, in a bid to appease Mr. Trump. He did so after days of counseling from the leaders of France and Britain, and although that outreach seemed to be received well by Mr. Trump, it remains unclear what happens next.“Mr. Trump, he is full of surprises — they are mostly bad surprises for us,” Bart De Wever, the prime minister of Belgium, told reporters on Thursday.Europe is now making a show of standing by Ukraine. That was on display when Mr. Zelensky walked into the summit in Brussels alongside both of the European Union’s top leaders, Ms. von der Leyen and Mr. Costa.The United Kingdom and France have indicated a willingness to send troops as a peacekeeping force if a deal is reached, but it is an open question exactly how many nations might join in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain has called a “coalition of the willing.”Nor is it clear yet how the E.U. will support such a coalition. What is clear is that the bloc wants to be in the conversation as the continent’s future is determined.On Wednesday, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said he would talk with European allies about the possibility of using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent in the wake of threats from Russia.In one sign that Europe appears to be pulling together more, several countries that are not in the bloc — including Britain, Norway and Turkey — are expected to be briefed by top E.U. officials after the Thursday meeting, according to a European Union official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.Despite the increased cooperation among nations, Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, has been vocal in his support of Mr. Trump and in his disagreement with his European colleagues over Ukraine.“We are still striving for having the unity of 27 members, and if that’s not possible, then I mean, Hungary can speak for themselves,” Kaja Kallas, the top E.U. diplomat, said on Thursday.E.U. officials have been discussing further aid for Ukraine, but plans for giving it a fresh pot of money are unlikely to be finalized on Thursday, according to a senior E.U. diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.The discussions on Thursday are also expected to go beyond Ukraine’s plight and focus on how Europe can better protect itself as a whole.Ms. von der Leyen has proposed a plan to “rearm” Europe, which would create a 150 billion euro loan program for defense investment while making E.U. budget rules more flexible to enable countries to invest more without breaching tough deficit rules.The goal, in part, is to help “Ukraine in its existential fight for its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she said on Thursday.
