EU defence summit: Leaders hold emergency meeting on support for Ukraine

Danish PM urges Europe to ‘spend, spend, spend’ on defence

Mette Frederiksen: ‘All good ideas around the table have to be a part of our discussion’ © AP

 

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said Europe must “spend, spend, spend” on defence and deterrence, as EU leaders gathered for crisis talks in Brussels on Thursday.

“Spend, spend, spend on defence and deterrence — that is the most important message and at the same time, of course, continue to support Ukraine because we want peace in Europe,” the Danish leader said as the meeting began.

Asked about French President Emmanuel Macron’s offer to hold talks with allies about using French nuclear weapons to protect Europe, Frederiksen said that “all good ideas around the table have to be a part of our discussion”.