EU leaders meet to counter pressure from Russia, China and Trump

By AP 12 February 2026, 9:10 am

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, Belgium, February 11, 2026. (AP/Virginia Mayo)

Leaders from across the European Union are meeting in a Belgian castle as the 27-nation bloc faces antagonism from US President Donald Trump, strong-arm economic tactics from China and hybrid threats from Russia — challenges that have prompted a rethink of Europe’s approach to diplomacy and trade.

“We all know we must change course, and we all know the direction,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told a meeting with some European leaders yesterday. “Yet it sometimes feels like we’re standing on the bridge of the ship staring at the horizon without being able to touch the helm.”

But there are competing visions of how the EU must change. Today’s meeting is to shape proposals for another summit in late March.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lead a wing of the bloc calling for deregulation, rebooting Europe’s relationship with Washington and forging trade deals like the recent one struck with the Mercosur nations of South America.

“We must deregulate every sector,” Merz said yesterday. But they are at odds with France.

One key issue is how much of the EU’s defense spending should be restricted to buying from EU arms companies. French President Emmanuel Macron argues that EU companies should get priority, while Merz and Meloni say purchases should be from both foreign and European firms.