EU's top three leaders met before informal summit, discussed Ukraine and defense - Politico

The Prime Minister of Denmark, the country holding the presidency of the EU Council, Mette Frederiksen, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, held a brief trilateral discussion before the summit, as reported by Politico, citing a diplomatic representative, writes UNN.

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"No surprises: Ukraine and defense were on the agenda, and the three were broadly aligned (in positions - ed.)," the diplomat said.

Today, the presidents and prime ministers of the bloc's countries will reportedly meet without a large entourage, unlike meetings in Brussels, without the usual procedure of official secretaries and without the expectation of a joint statement. Theoretically, informal meetings allow leaders to speak more freely and delve into some of the most pressing issues where national interests diverge, the publication writes.

"These include pan-European defense capabilities, the use of frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine," and, according to a senior diplomat, "possible sanctions against Israel, despite the fact that this issue is not on the official agenda."

According to diplomats, leaders currently do not plan to discuss legislative documents, such as the European Defence Industrial Programme of 1.5 billion euros, which is currently under negotiation between the EU Council and the European Parliament.

However, as they will consider the European Commission's proposals, some leaders are expected to raise questions about funding sources.

Currently, as stated, "there is no particular desire to agree on new joint debt." "One option is to use the remaining funds from the current budget, but this would yield a maximum of a few hundred million euros," the publication writes.

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