Leaders of the European Union (EU) member states convened in Belgium on June 26 and 27 and unanimously agreed to extend sanctions on Russia for an additional six months to reinforce support for Ukraine.

In response to NATO's increase in defense spending, the EU also announced plans to raise defense expenditures across Europe and strengthen cooperation, accelerating efforts to boost the defense industrial capacity in priority areas.

During the summit, leaders agreed to continue freezing Russian central bank assets worth over 200 billion euros (approximately 6.8 trillion New Taiwan dollars), ensuring that comprehensive sanctions against Russia will remain in effect until at least early 2026.

While most EU leaders agreed to provide more air defense systems, counter-drone systems, and munitions to support Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Fico refused to endorse new sanctions due to the EU's plan to halt imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027.

The meeting also reiterated the need to significantly increase European defense spending and encouraged collective investments to promote the defense economy through financing mechanisms, budgets, and industrial policies.

Furthermore, the summit emphasized accelerating the production capacity of priority sectors in the defense industry while aligning with NATO security demands and encouraged member states to utilize EU mechanisms for joint procurement of weapons to expand military purchases.

The conclusions of the summit once again highlighted the importance of strengthening security cooperation with like-minded partners, including welcoming the signing of a security and defense partnership agreement with the UK and Canada.