The center-right European People’s Party is eyeing “better implementation” of the Lisbon Treaty to better prepare the EU for what it sees as historic shifts in the global balance of power involving the U.S., China and Russia, EPP leader Manfred Weber said on Saturday. Speaking at a press conference on the second day of an EPP Leaders Retreat in Zagreb, Weber highlighted the possibility of broadening the use of qualified majority voting in EU decision-making and developing a practical plan for military response if a member state is attacked. Currently EU leaders can use qualified majority voting on most legislative proposals, from energy and climate issues to research and innovation. But common foreign and security policy, EU finances and membership issues, among other areas, need a unified majority. This means that on issues such as sanctions against Russia, one country can block agreement, as happened last summer when Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico vetoed a package of EU measures against Moscow — a veto that was eventually lifted. Such power in one country’s hands is something that the EPP would like to change.  As for military solidarity, Article 42.7 of the Lisbon Treaty obliges countries to provide “aid and assistance by all the means in their power” if an EU country is attacked. For Weber, the formulation under European law is stronger than NATO’s Article 5 collective defense commitment. However, he stressed that the EU still lacks a clear operational plan for how the clause would work in practice. Article 42.7 was previously used when France requested that other EU countries make additional contributions to the fight against terrorism, following the Paris terrorist attacks in November 2015.  Such ideas were presented as the party with a biggest grouping in the European Parliament — and therefore the power to shape EU political priorities — presented its strategic focus for 2026, with competitiveness as its main priority.  Keeping the pulse on what matters in 2026  The EPP wants to unleash the bloc’s competitiveness through further cutting red tape, “completing” the EU single market, diversifying supply chains, protecting economic independence and security and promoting innovation including in AI, chips and biotech, among other actions, according to its list 2026 priorities unveiled on Saturday. On defense, the EPP is pushing for a “360-degree” security approach to safeguard Europe against growing geopolitical threats, “addressing state and non-state threats from all directions,” according to the document. The EPP is calling for enhanced European defense capabilities, including a stronger defense market, joint procurement of military equipment, and new strategic initiatives to boost readiness. The party also stressed the need for better protection against cyberattacks and hybrid threats, and robust measures to counter disinformation campaigns targeting EU institutions and societies. On migration and border security, the EPP backs tougher asylum admissibility rules, faster returns, and strengthened external borders, including reinforced Frontex operations and improved digital systems like the Entry/Exit System.  The party also urged a Demographic Strategy for Europe amid the continent’s shrinking and aging population. The text, initiated by Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), member of the EPP, wants to see demographic considerations integrated into EU economic governance, cohesion funds, and policymaking, while boosting family support, intergenerational solidarity, labor participation, skills development, mobility and managed immigration.  Demographic change is “the most important issue, which is not really intensively discussed in the public discourse,” Weber said. “That’s why we want to highlight this, we want to underline the importance.” 

Czechia will go ahead with the purchase of 24 American F-35 fighter jets but is seeking to improve the conditions of the deal, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said on Thursday. “We will definitely want to work on this and improve the contract, because the project is at such a stage that it must continue,” Babiš told journalists following a visit to Čáslav air base. “I certainly see a great opportunity to improve the terms of the contract, especially in terms of financing and, of course, in terms of budgeting regarding exchange rate differences,” he added. The deal to purchase the jets was agreed to by Czechia’s previous government, led by Petr Fiala, in 2023. Babiš and his right-wing populist party ANO campaigned on criticism of deal, calling the jets “useless and overpriced,” and vowed to reconsider the agreement. His post-election statements, however, indicated a more pragmatic approach. The decision is likely to come as good news to U.S. President Donald Trump, who pressured Babiš to move ahead with the deal shortly after his inauguration in December. “Andrej knows how to get deals done, and I expected incredible things from him, including on F-35s. Congratulations Andrej!” Trump said in a Dec. 17 post on social media.

BRUSSELS — Europe must build its own military power to survive a more dangerous world and a less reliable U.S., top EU officials warned on Wednesday, sharpening a public split with NATO chief Mark Rutte over the continent’s security future. “We live now in a world where might is right,” European Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said at a conference marking the European Defence Agency’s 21st anniversary. “Our answer to deal with this dangerous world … European independence. European autonomy. More European responsibility for our own defense,” he said, calling for building a “European pillar in NATO.” He was echoed by the EU’s top diplomat and EDA boss Kaja Kallas, who warned that what is happening with the U.S. marks “a structural, not temporary” shift. “NATO needs to become more European to maintain its strength,” she said. That’s a direct challenge to Rutte, who on Monday branded a European arm of NATO an “empty word” given his immediate focus is keeping the U.S. inside the alliance. “If anyone thinks here … that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming,” Rutte told the European Parliament. But the EU’s top officials are hammering home a very different message: The United States is no longer the lynchpin of European security and the continent has to build its own military potential using its own resources. That’s part of the EDA’s job — to better coordinate the bloc’s military potential. Neither Kallas nor Kubilius mentioned Donald Trump, but it’s clear that the U.S. president’s challenge to the status quo by demanding the annexation of Greenland — a Danish territory — and undercutting NATO’s common defense provisions, are top-of-mind in Brussels. “The biggest change in the fundamental reorientation is going on across the Atlantic: a rethinking that has shaken the transatlantic relationship to its foundation,” Kallas said, adding: “These developments put a severe strain on the international norms, rules and institutions enforcing them that we have built over 80 years. The risk of a full-blown return to coercive power politics, spheres of influence and a world where might makes right, is very real.” She did underline that “The U.S. will remain Europe’s partner and ally,” but added: “Europe needs to adapt to the new realities. Europe is no longer Washington’s primary center of gravity.” That’s why the EU has signed defense cooperation deals with nine countries — the most recent being with India this week. The bloc “must also turbocharge our collaboration with the selected like-minded partners,” Kallas said. The EU also has to respond by revamping its structures to make coordinated action easier; currently a lot of security action needs unanimous consent, giving pro-Kremlin countries like Hungary a veto. “It cannot be that the one country’s veto defines the policy for others,” Kallas said. EU countries will also have to spend more on defense and better coordinate their procurement to avoid wasting money, Kubilius warned. He called the recently approved €150 billion loans-for-weapons Security Action for Europe program a “big bang,” but noted that the bulk of defense spending remains with national capitals. “Most new money for defense will be national, so the temptation will be to spend only national. That would be a big mistake. That would only increase fragmentation,” Kubilius said, warning that without such an effort, EU countries would continue to undermine their defense potential by buying arms from outside the bloc. The U.S. is Europe’s largest weapons supplier, but there is a concerted push to keep more defense spending at home, especially for projects financed by EU money. André Denk, a German military official who is the EDA’s chief executive, warned that the EU “cannot forever rely on U.S intelligence, on their logistic support, on their strategic enablers.” Kallas and Kubilius also underlined that the bloc’s own defense industries need to step up and produce more weapons faster. “Show us your lean and mean side,” said Kallas. The challenges posed by the U.S., Russia and China mean that Europe has to learn to stand up for itself, Kubilius said. “In a world of giants, we too must become giants. A gentle giant that promotes international law and cooperation. But a strong giant all the same.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said British troops “were among the greatest of all warriors” in the Afghan war, a day after U.K. officials vented outrage at him saying NATO allied troops stayed “a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan. “The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!” Trump said in a post on his social media Saturday evening. “It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!).”  Trump’s latest comments came after NATO allies pushed back strongly against his earlier remarks, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling the characterization of U.K. troops in Afghanistan “insulting and frankly appalling.” Starmer spoke on the phone with Trump on Saturday to discuss “the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan,” according to a statement from Downing Street. The leaders also talked about the importance of the U.K.-U.S. relationship, as well as the need for a ceasefire to be reached in Ukraine. The leaders also discussed “the need for bolstered security in the Arctic.”  The past week has seen increased tensions between the U.S. and its NATO allies, as Trump threatened some American partners with tariffs over Greenland. The threat was ultimately walked back once an agreement granting the U.S. access to the island was reached.

Ukrainian and Russian officials will meet next Sunday in Abu Dhabi for a new round of peace talks, U.S. officials said Saturday, after two days of meetings in the city this week failed to produce concrete results. This week’s meetings, the first time all three countries sat face-to-face for talks to try and hash out a ceasefire, touched on economic and military issues, as well as disputes over how much Ukrainian territory Russia will continue to hold after the war, said two U.S. officials. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic issues. It’s not clear at this point who from the three governments will be involved in next week’s talks. Hours after the talks broke for the day on Friday, Russia launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine so far this year, killing civilians and plunging much of the country into darkness during an overnight attack. Attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure have been a hallmark of the Russian reaction to months of talks. They have intensified in recent weeks as Ukraine faces one of its coldest winters in years. “These talks were about deescalation,” one of the U.S. officials said. Despite the continued Russian attacks — and two unprovoked invasions by Russian forces into Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 — the official said: “President Putin said unequivocally that he wants to see a diplomatic settlement of this deal … and, you know, we want to take him at his word.” The meetings in Abu Dhabi were led by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who met in Switzerland with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week before heading to Moscow to huddle with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They capped the week with meetings with both sides, where they were joined by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the head of the European Command and NATO forces, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich. One of the big sticking points in the negotiations has been Western security guarantees for Ukraine in any post-war scenario. European countries have pushed for a small troop presence in Ukraine to monitor a ceasefire, with France and Germany leading the push to send troops. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. won’t put boots on the ground in Ukraine but will help. Defense officials have said that American commitment would likely involve satellite and intelligence support, some drone flights to monitor the line of separation, and logistics support. A second U.S. official on Saturday appeared to dismiss those early European commitments, noting it is the American security guarantee that is most critical: “The Coalition of the Willing efforts are nice. They had a couple helicopters and a couple troops and a couple guarantees here and there, but if you speak to the Ukrainians, it’s really the American security guarantees that matter.” The U.S. officials said a big part of this week’s talks focused on economics, as well as who controls Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is being occupied by Russian forces. There was no agreement, but the push — favored by Moscow — is for Ukraine and Russia to share the electric output from that plant, which is the largest in Europe. “Both parties are starting to envision what they can gain from peace, like the prosperity plan for Ukraine, some of these opportunities for Russia to do business deals with the United States of America,” the second official said. “There’s obviously not a lot of trust right now between Europe and Russia, but we want to create a framework where that can start a new paradigm that can start building trust by showing real de-escalation.” Heading into the talks Witkoff said only one issue — which Zelenskyy later said was territory — was left to be resolved. Russia has demanded it take all of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, even parts Ukraine still controls. Ukraine has resisted the demand, given the territory’s strategic importance to the country. Zelenskyy and Trump met this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Zelenskyy delivered one of his most pessimistic and frustrated speeches to date, lambasting Europe for not taking its own security seriously enough. “Just last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words: ‘Europe needs to know how to defend itself.’ A year has passed. And nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I must say the same words again,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine, Russia and the United States concluded a second day of U.S.-brokered trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, which Kyiv described as “constructive” despite continued attacks by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two days of meetings in the United Arab Emirates — the first in trilateral format in years — focused on possible parameters for ending the war and the security guarantees required to make any agreement credible. “Our delegation delivered a report; the meetings in the UAE have concluded,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive.” The talks brought together senior military and intelligence officials from all three sides. Ukraine’s delegation included Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov; Russia was represented by members of its armed forces and military intelligence; and the U.S. delegation included President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and senior White House advisers. Zelenskyy said the U.S. side raised possible formats for formalizing any future settlement, as well as the need for American monitoring and oversight of a potential ceasefire or peace process. “As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders,” Zelenskyy said, adding that military representatives had identified issues for a potential follow-up meeting. Russia’s TASS news agency also reported that the talks produced results and could continue in the coming days. The diplomatic efforts unfolded against the backdrop of Moscow’s largest aerial assault on Ukraine so far this year. Ukrainian officials said hundreds of drones and missiles struck Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities overnight, killing at least one person and leaving millions without power and heat amid subzero temperatures. Zelenskyy said on Friday that it was “too early” to draw conclusions from the talks. He reiterated that Ukraine would not accept territorial concessions demanded by Moscow.

The new U.S. defense strategy formally pushes Europe down Washington’s list of priorities while elevating Greenland to a core homeland security concern — suggesting European allies will be expected to shoulder more responsibility for their own defense. “Although Europe remains important, it has a smaller and declining share of global economic power,” the National Defense Strategy, published late Friday, states. “It follows that while the United States will remain engaged in Europe, it must — and will — prioritize defending the U.S. homeland and deterring China.” The strategy also makes clear that in Europe “allies will take the lead” against threats that are “less severe” for the United States but more acute for them, with Washington providing “critical but more limited support.” The document argues that Europe is economically and militarily capable of defending itself, noting that non-U.S. NATO members dwarf Russia in economic scale, and are therefore “strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.” At the same time, the strategy places emphasis on Greenland, explicitly listing the Arctic island — alongside the Panama Canal — as terrain the U.S. must secure to protect its homeland interests. The Pentagon says it will provide the president with “credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain from the Arctic to South America, especially Greenland,” adding that “we will ensure that the Monroe Doctrine is upheld in our time.” That framing aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric on Greenland, which has unsettled European capitals and fueled concern over Washington’s long-term intentions in the Arctic. The defense strategy builds on the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy released in December, which recast the Western Hemisphere — rather than Europe — as the primary arena for defending U.S. security. While the earlier document went further in criticizing Europe’s trajectory, both strategies stress continued engagement paired with a clear expectation that European allies will increasingly take the lead on threats closer to home.

America’s NATO allies slammed U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that allied forces stayed “a little off the front lines” in the war in Afghanistan. “We’ve never needed them … they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News in Davos on Thursday, referring to NATO allies. “And they did — they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.” The remarks prompted European leaders and veterans to point to frontline deployments and heavy casualties alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan. “Wrong and without respect” is how Norway’s Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik described Trump’s comments. “All fallen soldiers, their families and veterans deserve to be spoken about with respect,” Sandvik told local media, adding that he fully understood why veterans and relatives were angered by Trump’s words. More than 10,000 Norwegian troops served in Afghanistan and 10 were killed, he noted. Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Møller Sørensen, said Danish forces fought “on the front line” in Helmand province in the Afghan war and suffered one of the highest per-capita casualty rates among NATO allies. “That was solidarity,” Sørensen wrote in a post on X. “We stood with America then — and we still do.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recalled attending a farewell ceremony in Ghazni in 2011 for five fallen Polish soldiers. “The American officers who accompanied me then told me that America would never forget the Polish heroes,” he wrote on X, adding: “Perhaps they will remind President Trump of that fact.” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump’s remarks “insulting and frankly appalling.” “I will never forget [U.K. soldiers’] courage, their bravery and the sacrifice that they made for their country,” Starmer said on X. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “Donald Trump is wrong. For 20 years our armed forces fought bravely alongside America’s in Afghanistan.” Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan as a British Army captain in 2008 and 2012, said NATO allies “answered that call” when Washington invoked Article 5 of the NATO treaty after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” Prince Harry said in a statement. He noted that the U.K. alone lost 457 service personnel, adding that “thousands of lives were changed forever.” “Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost,” he said, urging that those sacrifices be spoken about “truthfully and with respect.” U.K. Defense Minister John Healey said British troops who died in Afghanistan were “heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation.” French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said France had been engaged in Afghanistan from 2001 alongside its NATO allies, recalling the 90 French soldiers killed in operations and many others wounded. “We remember their sacrifice, which commands respect,” she wrote.

Greenlandic organizations said Saturday they had mobilized thousands of demonstrators across Denmark and Greenland to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to take over the Arctic island, framing the rallies as a defense of democracy and self-determination. The demonstrations were organized by Uagut, the National Organization for Greenlanders in Denmark, together with the citizens initiative “Hands Off Kalaallit Nunaat,” the Joint Association for Greenlandic Local Associations in Denmark (Inuit) and the NGO Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke, according to a joint statement from the groups. In Copenhagen, protesters gathered at City Hall Square chanting “Greenland is not for sale” before marching toward the U.S. Embassy, waving Greenland flags and holding banners reading “Hands off Greenland.” Parallel demonstrations were held in Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense, while a protest in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, was scheduled for later Saturday, with marchers set to head toward the U.S. consulate, organizers said. “We are demonstrating against American statements and ambitions to annex Greenland,” Camilla Siezing, chairwoman of the Inuit Association, said in a statement. “We demand respect for the Danish Realm and for Greenland’s right to self-determination.” Organizers said the protests were peaceful and open to anyone wishing to show solidarity, and were timed to coincide with the visit of U.S. senators to Denmark amid mounting transatlantic tensions. Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland is vital to U.S. national security and has refused to rule out coercive measures to acquire it, triggering a diplomatic crisis with Denmark, a NATO ally. Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, which retains control over defense and foreign policy, while the island’s elected parties broadly support independence but disagree on timing. The protests come days after Denmark and several European allies announced plans to expand their military presence in and around Greenland through increased exercises and deployments, moves officials described as defensive.

Denmark’s top military commander in the Arctic pushed back against claims that Greenland is facing an imminent security threat from Russia or China, undercutting a narrative repeatedly advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump. “No. We don’t see a threat from China or Russia today,” Major General Søren Andersen, commander of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command in Greenland, said in an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, of which POLITICO is a part. “But we look into a potential threat, and that is what we are training for.” Andersen, who has headed the Joint Arctic Command since 2023, stressed that the stepped-up Danish and allied military activity around Greenland is not a response to an immediate danger, but preparation for future contingencies.  Once the war in Ukraine ends, he said, Moscow could redirect military resources to other regions. “I actually expect that we will see Russian resources that are being taken from the theater around Ukraine into other theaters,” Andersen said, pointing to the Baltic Sea and the Arctic region. That assessment has driven Denmark’s decision to expand exercises and invite European allies to operate in and around Greenland under harsh winter conditions, part of what Copenhagen has framed as strengthening NATO’s northern flank. Troops from several European countries have already deployed under Denmark’s Operation Arctic Endurance exercise, which includes air, maritime and land components. The remarks stand in contrast to Trump’s repeated claims that Greenland is under active pressure from Russia and China and his insistence that the island is vital to U.S. national security.  “In the meantime, you have Russian destroyers and submarines, and China destroyers and submarines all over the place,” Trump told reporters on Sunday about his pursuit to make Greenland part of the United States. “We’re not going to let that happen.” Trump has argued Washington cannot rule out the use of force to secure its interests, comments that have alarmed Danish and Greenlandic leaders. Andersen declined to engage directly with those statements, instead emphasizing NATO unity and longstanding cooperation with U.S. forces already stationed at Pituffik Space Base. He also rejected hypothetical scenarios involving conflict between allies, saying he could not envision one NATO country attacking another. Despite rising political tensions with Washington, Andersen said the United States was formally invited to participate in the exercise. “I hope that also that we will have U.S. troops together with German, France or Canadian, or whatever force that will train, because I think we have to do this together.”