EU leaders brief 'likeminded' allies after defence summit

BRUSSELS — EU chiefs briefed several NATO partners, including Britain, Canada and Turkey, on Friday about the outcome of a meeting on defence of the bloc's leaders in Brussels a day earlier.

Shaken by the prospect of US disengagement from the continent's security, European Union leaders agreed to boost the 27-country union's defences against the perceived threat from Russia.

Following the crisis talks, EU chiefs Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen spoke via video call with the leaders of Britain, Turkey, Canada, Norway and Iceland.

"Our cooperation with likeminded NATO partners is vital for international security. For Ukraine. For stepping up our joint efforts on defence," Costa, who heads the body representing EU member states. 

"Together with our partners in Europe, across the Atlantic, and beyond, we need to work to support Ukraine and ensure a just and lasting peace," he said, in a social media post.

On Friday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed Thursday's summit as "a historic step forward" and another "sign of Europe stepping up", welcoming progress made on shoring up the defence of Ukraine.

Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron later spoke to "compare notes" on their work to get a lasting peace in Ukraine on Friday evening, Starmer's Downing Street office added.

An EU official said the non-EU leaders "expressed their determination to contribute to joint efforts in supporting Ukraine as well as in stepping up the cooperation in the area of defence".

During the meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threw his support behind a call by Zelensky for an aerial and sea truce in the Ukraine war.

Erdogan, whose country has twice hosted Ukraine-Russia talks at the start of the war, also said both sides must be seated at the table for any peace negotiations to work.

Friday's debrief comes after European leaders closed ranks in support of Kyiv at a London summit last weekend, where they pledged to spend more on security and assemble a coalition to defend any truce in Ukraine.