Europe's major military powers reaffirm support for Ukraine, push for defense autonomy

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Europe's major military powers reaffirm support for Ukraine, push for defense autonomy

2025-03-13 10:12 Last Updated At：15:47

Defense ministers from Europe's top five military powers, France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Poland, met on Wednesday in Paris to reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine's defense, as part of a broader push to bolster European security.

The meeting, held at the Val de Grace former military hospital in Paris, also included representatives from the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as a virtual address from Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

In a joint declaration published after the event, the ministers agreed to strengthen European support for peace in Ukraine, including accelerating defense industrial cooperation projects with Ukraine.

Speaking at a joint press conference, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu told reporters that the defense capacity of the Ukrainian army would be "one of the first security guarantees" for Kiev.

Lecornu reiterated that France would not accept any demilitarization of the Ukrainian army.

Echoing the sentiment, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stressed that there would be no future for Ukraine "without the ability to defend itself".

Earlier this month, the EU chief Ursula von der Leyen unveiled an 800 billion-euro package to shore up Europe's defense capabilities and provide military support for Ukraine after Washington suspended aid.

The French defense minister also presented a controversial plan last week to use interest from frozen Russian assets to provide Ukraine with an additional 195 million euros in military aid.

These moves came amid growing urgency in Europe to address its defense vulnerabilities. In a Tuesday interview with CCTV, French military expert Dominique Trinquand highlighted the continent's significant gaps in areas such as long-range military strikes, air defense, electronic warfare, and intelligence capabilities. France has been at the forefront of efforts to tackle these weaknesses, pushing for greater European defense autonomy over the past seven years.

However, achieving this goal would require much higher military spending. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously proposed raising France's defense budget to five percent of its GDP, far exceeding NATO's two-percent target for member states. Bridging this gap would pose great economic challenges for European nations, potentially sparking further divisions within Europe.

EU, Finnish officials express concerns over US remarks on Greenland

Officials from the European Union (EU) and Finland have voiced concerns after the White House said it has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including the use of the military.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press briefing in Cairo on Thursday that the message from the U.S. is "extremely concerning," and "not really helping the stability of the world."

Kallas called on all parties to stick to international law, adding that relevant response measures has been discussed among EU members.

"The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries, and that is why it is in the interest of all of us. And we discussed this today, as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels," she said.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination.

"Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," she said at a press conference at Finnish parliament after an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was "unprecedented" for threats of violence to be made within NATO against another member in connection with seizing territory, adding that such threats run counter to the United Nations Charter and that their inconsistency with international law should be underscored at all levels.