The European Council this week must do two things. Leaders need tangible results, particularly on financing Ukraine. But mainstream governments also say they need to stick up for the EU when the White House is trying to influence policy, and more European leaders than ever ― from Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to Czechia’s Andrej Babiš ― reject Brussels’ accepted wisdom.
The EU would be “severely damaged for years” if it fails to do a deal on funding Ukraine, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a German TV interview. “And we will show the world that, at such a crucial moment in our history, we are incapable of standing together and acting to defend our own political order on this European continent.”
Trump administration officials have been pushing European governments ― those they consider friendliest at least ― to reject the plan to use €210 billion in Russian assets to fund Ukraine, four EU officials involved with the discussions told POLITICO.
When EU leaders met in Brussels in October they failed to reach a deal on the immobilized cash because Belgium opposed it. Two months later, it’s clear the EU’s problem isn’t really Belgium, it’s Trump.
The European Commission and the most influential capitals have been negotiating with each other over that period, trying to get Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever ― whose support is crucial because his country is home to most of the Russian assets frozen in Europe ― onside. Discussions have become more intense over the past week as the EU has sought to give Belgium guarantees.
But the odds of getting a deal became worse rather than better even over the course of Tuesday, said the senior official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. “I wanted to cry,” they said about the mood of a meeting in Brussels of EU affairs ministers who were preparing for the summit.