EU leaders to discuss defense, US and China relationships
ABC News
European Union leaders are meeting for the first time since the messy Western troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and France’s loss of a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with Australia
BRUSSELS -- European Union leaders are meeting for the first time since the messy Western troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and France's loss of a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with Australia, events that they argue have exposed Europe's need for more autonomy on defense.
The leaders will have plenty to discuss during their dinner at Brdo Castle in Slovenia on Tuesday, the eve of a summit with leaders from neighboring Balkans countries. The 27-nation trade bloc's tense relationship with China and rising energy prices will also be on agenda.
The informal talks are not expected to deliver concrete results but intended to prepare the ground for a scheduled two-day EU summit later this month in Brussels.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has for years pushed for a greater strategic autonomy for the bloc, is expected to lead the dinner discussion on AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific defense deal between the U.S., Australia and Britain that led Australia to cancel the contract for diesel-electric French submarines.
