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“Nothing is off the table” when it comes to raising money for defence, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has said, as she warned European values such as democracy and the rule of law were under threat in a increasingly “transactional” world.
Without mentioning Donald Trump by name, the head of the EU executive told reporters there was a new sense of urgency in the geopolitical sphere and that “something fundamental” had shifted since she began her second term in office on 1 December, nearly 100 days ago.
“Our European values, democracy, freedom, the rule of law are under threat,” von der Leyen told reporters at a press conference on Sunday. “We see that sovereignty, but also ironclad commitments are called into question. Everything has become transactional.”
After being asked about the matter repeatedly, von der Leyen said the US was still an ally, although “we have our discussion points without any question”. She said: “From the viewpoint of the European Union, I think it’s a very strong wake-up call.”
EU leaders last week pledged to dramatically increase military spending after von der Leyen presented a €800bn (£670bn) plan to allow member states to take out loans and increase national debts without incurring penalties under the the bloc’s strict fiscal rules.
Many member states would like to go further, however, with common borrowing to fund direct grants, rather than loans, to boost defence spending.
Asked on Sunday about such proposals, von der Leyen said: “Nothing is off the table. I am open to whatever is necessary.” Such a move would require backing from Germany, which has been opposed to joint defence borrowing under the outgoing coalition government led by Olaf Scholz.
The incoming centre-right chancellor, Friedrich Merz, however, has raised hopes of a change of heart in Berlin, after he made a speedy agreement with his Social Democrat coalition partners to change Germany’s constitution to embark on a spending plan for defence and infrastructure.
While von der Leyen described the US repeatedly as an ally, EU officials are concerned about Trump, who has suspended US military aid and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, derided Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and appeared tolerant of Vladimir Putin’s deadly bombardment of Ukrainian homes and civilian infrastructure.
While von der Leyen spoke of support for Kyiv so Ukraine “can keep on fighting” she did not refer directly to a proposal for short-term military aid from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. The former Estonian prime minister has called on member states to accelerate efforts to aid Ukraine in 2025, including by delivering “as soon as possible” 1.5m rounds of ammunition, air defence systems and drones among other support.
After the latest devastating attacks on Ukraine this weekend that killed at least 14 and injured many more, Kallas stepped up her calls for the EU to increase military support “otherwise, even more Ukrainian civilians will pay the highest price”.
Asked about the Kallas proposal and military aid for Ukraine in 2025, von der Leyen said “we will have to step up without any question” and referred to how Kyiv could benefit from the €800bn plan – loans and fiscal flexibilities that have yet to be finalised.
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The EU has supplied €52bn military aid to Ukraine, on a par with the US, according to the commission.
Von der Leyen said her €800bn plan could be “the foundation of a European defence union” and raised the possibility of “team[ing] up with other like-minded countries such as the UK or Norway or Canada”. One open question is whether these non-EU European countries could be involved in billion-euro defence contracts. Macron is leading a “buy European” policy, but Germany and Poland have signalled greater openness to procuring costly defence equipment from countries outside the bloc.
Without giving a definitive answer, von der Leyen appeared to lean to a more open approach. Companies already had strong cross-border ties, she said. “We do not have to reinvent the wheel, we have to think about a smart mechanism, how we can use this cooperation that is already established at a high level of quality.”
She stressed that the EU remained wedded to phasing out Russian gas, despite two delays to a plan on achieving this goal. “I commit very clearly to phasing out the Russian gas,” she said. “This is an absolute must.”
Europe bought a record 18.8m tonnes of Russian liquefied natural gas in 2024, despite a steep decline in imported pipeline gas, coal and oil.
