European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G7 Summit and agreed to start negotiations on a Security and Defence Partnership (SDP).
Kyiv, 12 June 2025 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the German delegation led by Federal
In Stockholm, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte hailed Sweden’s growing role in NATO, highlighting its deployments in Latvia and Finland, air patrols over Poland, and Baltic Sea operations. He commended Sweden’s 2.66% defence investment, support for Ukraine, and leadership in strengthening NATO’s defence industry, while setting the stage for bold decisions at the upcoming NATO Summit.
With three new executive orders, U.S. President Donald Trump launches a sweeping deregulation drive to revitalize drone innovation, electric air mobility, and supersonic passenger flight. While American firms lead in R&D, regulatory lag has left the U.S. trailing China and Türkiye in deployment. The new orders aim to change that — and reassert U.S. airspace sovereignty in an era of aerial threats.
“It is clear that Russia does not want peace. Nothing suggests that Russia is ready for peace. On the contrary, Russia is escalating its war in Ukraine. Maternity hospitals, emergency medical wards, civilian houses and infrastructure are not military targets. This is an outright illegal war. Russia is cruel, aggressive, and a danger to us all and we act now to support Ukraine but also put the pressure on Russia”
At the European Defence and Security Summit, EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius delivered a keynote on Europe’s urgent transition from peacetime complacency to war-era preparedness. Warning of a “perfect storm” of geopolitical threats and U.S. retrenchment, he unveiled plans for a simplified defence rulebook, accelerated arms production, EU-NATO synergies, and deeper industrial ties with Ukraine. “Peace must be defended through strength,” he declared.
Political dialogue increased substantially, according to the report, reflecting the determination of the new EU and NATO leadership to bolster mutual understanding, increase interactions and further strengthen cooperation across all areas of the EU-NATO partnership, in particular in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and EU initiatives to boost European defence.
At the EU Industry Days in Rzeszów, EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius delivered a stark assessment of Europe’s defence readiness, calling for bold investments, industrial transformation, and deeper integration with Ukraine. Highlighting the strategic role of drones, the looming U.S. drawdown, and Russia’s war economy, he urged Member States to act decisively and treat industry as a core pillar of Europe’s security.
Meeting in Brussels on Thursday 5 June [2025], NATO Defence Ministers agreed an ambitious new set of capability targets to build a stronger, fairer, more lethal Alliance, and ensure warfighting readiness for years to come. At a closing press conference NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that the targets “describe exactly what capabilities Allies need to invest in over the coming years… to keep our deterrence and defence strong and
Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, travels to the Hague today for talks about the defence and space industry. Commissioner Kubilius will hold a series of bilateral meetings and delivers a keynote speech at the Clingendael Institute Conference “Reimagining European Defence”.
At the Vilnius Summit on 2 June 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the Presidents of Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine, as well as Nordic and Bucharest 9 leaders, reaffirmed their unity in the face of Russia’s continued aggression. With a sharp focus on Ukraine’s defence, NATO’s warfighting readiness, and the upcoming Summit in The Hague, the allies underscored their commitment to collective defence, increased investments, and closer transatlantic coordination.
EU High Representative and EU Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas met today with Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Enrique A. Manalo, for a high-level dialogue reaffirming the strong and growing partnership between the European Union and the Philippines.
The EU Commission has approved the creation of a joint venture (‘JV’) between BAE Systems (Holdings) Limited (‘BAES’), Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. (‘JAIEC’), and Leonardo S.p.A. (‘Leonardo’). This JV will be the prime contractor and lead systems integrator for the Global Combat Air Programme.
Pledging to serve the international community as “an honest broker and unifier,” Germany’s former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has been elected President of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly—becoming only the fifth woman to hold the post in the UN’s 80-year history. Nominated by the Western European and Other States Group, whose turn it was to put forward a candidate under the UN’s regional rotation system, Baerbock
NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) launched ten new challenges aimed at finding the next generation of dual-use deep technologies to help better protect the Alliance’s one billion citizens.
President von der Leyen met with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham today to discuss EU-U.S. coordination on sanctions in response to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. Emphasising the need for a real ceasefire and meaningful negotiations, she stated: “Pressure works, as the Kremlin understands nothing else.” The President welcomed Senator Graham’s commitment to intensifying pressure on Russia and advancing the bipartisan Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill in the U.S. Senate next
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir in Brussels on Wednesday (28 May 2025) to discuss Iceland’s contributions to the Alliance, support to Ukraine, and preparations for the NATO Summit in The Hague.
In a keynote speech in Aachen, EU Commissioner Kubilius addressed the pressing question: Can Europe manage without the U.S.? His answer was clear and direct—Europe must prepare to take full responsibility for its own defence. With a likely decline in U.S. military presence, Kubilius argued, standing on our own is not just possible, but necessary and inevitable.
The EU Council has approved the sixth wave of projects under the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the EU’s key initiative for advancing defence capabilities. With 11 new collaborative projects added, the total number of PESCO initiatives now stands at 75. Discover which projects have been selected.
The European Commission welcomes today’s agreement in the Council of the EU on the Security for Action for Europe (SAFE) Instrument. As proposed in the ReArm Europe Plan / Readiness 2030, the Commission will raise up to €150 billion on the capital markets, providing financial levers to EU Member States to ramp up the investments in key defence areas like air missile defence, drones, or strategic enablers.
Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, visited London to engage with stakeholders from the defence and space sectors at the annual Convention of the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD Europe). His visit followed the recent EU–UK summit, which outlined key areas for future cooperation aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and advancing the Security and Defence Partnership.