South Sudan general among 28 killed in Nasir helicopter attack

JUBA, South Sudan 

A South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) commander, Major General Majur Dak (pictured), and 27 of his soldiers were killed during a United Nations evacuation operation in Nasir on Friday morning, a government spokesperson has said.

A UN crew member also lost their life in the incident.

The evacuation was part of efforts to defuse tensions following recent clashes between the SSPDF and the White Army, a loosely organized armed youth group predominantly from the Nuer ethnic community. It has been linked by the government to SPLA-IO forces loyal to Dr. Riek Machar.

The White Army had seized control of Nasir’s military barracks on Tuesday after fierce fighting with government forces, leaving Gen. Majur and his troops stranded in the bush.

The UN helicopter involved in the evacuation reportedly came under heavy fire from the White Army during the operation. The evacuation had been coordinated by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, as part of an initiative to rescue stranded SSPDF troops.

The SSPDF leadership has accused SPLM-IO leaders of orchestrating the conflict in Nasir, a claim that has further strained relations between the two groups. In response to the allegations, several senior SPLM-IO officials were arrested in Juba earlier this week, including Gabriel Duop Lam, deputy chief of the SSPDF and chief of staff of the SPLA-IO, as well as Petroleum Minister Puot Kang.

Responding to questions by journalists in Juba on Friday evening, Information Minister and Government spokesperson,  Michael Makuei Lueth stated that the exact number of casualties on the SSPDF side remains unclear, but confirmed that approximately 27 soldiers died alongside Gen. Majur during the evacuation in Nasir this morning.

“Some of the forces have appeared elsewhere and are being traced,” he added.

The violence in Nasir highlights the ongoing challenges South Sudan faces in fully integrating its various armed groups into a unified national army, a key provision of the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war.

Although the country has been formally at peace since the agreement was signed by President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, political tensions remain high.

Trump says US ending all federal funding to South Africa

WASHINGTON,  United States 

The United States state department has ordered an immediate end to all federal funding to South Africa.

This follows an executive order signed last month by US President Donald Trump who has repeated his false claim that the South African government is confiscating land owned by white farmers.

Trump, writing on his Truth Social post, also reiterated his offer of sanctuary to farmers fleeing the country because they fear for their safety, with a “rapid pathway to Citizenship”.

The announcement comes a week after a lobby group of minority white Afrikaners met with the president at the White House.

Their visit was criticised by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who accused them of undermining the country’s sovereignty.

Afrikaners are the descendants of the Dutch colonisers who implemented the apartheid  regime in the 1940s which ended with the country’s first democratic election in 1994.

US government data shows that foreign assistance commitments to South Africa came in at $323.4 million in 2024.

The money was used in initiatives and programmes as wide-ranging as climate change, the promotion of gender equality, and improving healthcare.

South African born billionaire and Trump’s new super-ally, Elon Musk, is widely seen as influencing the US administration’s stance on the country.

More than 30 years after the end of apartheid, white South Africans, who make up just 7 per cent of the population, still own most of the country's private farmland.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy to visit South Africa in April for talks

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to visit South Africa next month for talks with the country’s leader Cyril Ramaphosa.

A spokesperson for the South African presidency says it will be a continuation of Ramaphosa’s ongoing engagement with both Kyiv and Moscow to find a path to peace.

South Africa has adopted a neutral position on Russia’s war in Ukraine and has attempted to act as a mediator between the sides, although with limited success.

Ramaphosa led an African peace mission to Russia and Ukraine in 2023 and met with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The South African president has held separate calls with both leaders since then.

Pretoria has close ties with Russia, with both countries belonging to the BRICS group of emerging economies that is trying to challenge the Western-dominated economic order.

In addition, South Africa has refused to condemn Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine three years ago.

Zelenskyy's visit to the country comes at a critical juncture in the war following his explosive meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House last week.

He is trying to shore up international support for his country after Washington halted intelligence-sharing and all military aid to Ukraine.

Following the confrontation, European leaders have backed plans to spend more on defence and have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine.

The US excluded Ukraine and other European allies when it met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia over a possible peace deal last month.

South Africa says that Ukraine must be included in peace talks, echoing a call by European leaders.

Ramaphosa is due to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa in Cape Town next week at the annual EU-South Africa summit.

South Africa holds the presidency of the Group of 20 this year and has called for cooperation among the bloc to find an end to the war in Ukraine.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 08/03/2025

 

American inmate to be executed by firing squad

SOUTH CAROLINA, United States

A South Carolina prison inmate convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend's parents with a baseball bat will be the first person in the US to be executed by firing squad in 15 years.

If Brad Sigmon's execution proceeds on Friday at 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT), three volunteers standing behind a curtain will simultaneously fire rifles at his chest with specially designed bullets.

The state's procedure requires that those put to death by firing squad be strapped to a chair when they enter the execution chamber. The inmate then has a target placed on his heart and a bag put over his head.

Sigmon, 67, was convicted of murdering David and Gladys Larke in 2001 before kidnapping his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint. She later escaped as he shot at her.

Offered the alternatives of death by electric chair or lethal injection, Sigmon's lawyers said he chose the more violent process because of his concerns about the effectiveness of the other two methods.

He will be the first person to be executed by firing squad in the US since 2010, and only the fourth since the country reintroduced the death penalty in 1976.

Sigmon was charged with murder in 2001 after investigators said he killed his ex-girlfriend's parents in their home in Greenville County by alternately beating them with a bat.

He also told detectives that he planned to harm his ex-girlfriend before she escaped.

"I couldn't have her. I wasn't going to let anybody else have her," he told them.

The South Carolina Supreme Court this week rejected a request from Sigmon's lawyers to intervene. They wanted more time to learn about the drug South Carolina uses in lethal injections and questioned whether his 2002 legal representation was adequate.

That is expected to be his final appeal ahead of Friday's planned execution.

No South Carolina governor has granted clemency to an inmate facing execution since the US legalised the death penalty again in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Execution by firing squad is complex.

Sigmon will be strapped in a chair with a basin built below it to catch his blood. A target will be placed on his chest and a bag over his head.

Three volunteers hidden behind a curtain will then fire at him from 15ft (4.6m) away.

The bullets used are designed to break apart on impact and cause maximum damage. Medical experts have debated the amount of pain caused by their use.

After the shots are fired, a doctor will confirm Sigmon's death.

The state allows witnesses to observe the death from behind bulletproof glass, but the executioners will be hidden from view to protect their identities.

South Carolina passed a law in 2023 requiring that the the identities of the execution team members remain secret. It also forbids the publication of information regarding the procurement of lethal injection drugs, as a growing number of pharmaceutical companies have declined to provide them for state executions.

Ebola cases in Uganda rise to 14 as new cluster emerges

KAMPALA, Uganda

Uganda’s Ebola caseload increased to 14 in the last week, Africa’s top public health agency said Thursday, with a new cluster emerging from a 4-year-old child who recently died of the infectious disease.

Three of five new cases have been confirmed as Ebola, with two cited as probably Ebola, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters.

The Africa CDC reported that there was no direct epidemiological link between the new cluster and another one accounting for nine previous Ebola cases, including the first victim of the outbreak.

Ebola is now spreading in five of Uganda’s 146 districts, it said. That includes Kampala, the capital, where the outbreak was declared on Jan. 30. Two Ebola deaths have been confirmed.

Local health officials have not been giving regular updates on the outbreak, raising concerns about a lack of transparency. At least three hospitals in Kampala have handled confirmed or suspected Ebola cases without later informing the public of it.

Dr. Charles Olaro, the director of health services in the Ministry of Health, told The Associated Press he believed the situation was under control. Officials were not required to give updates on every incident, he said.

Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of Ebola, and there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola that’s infecting people in Uganda.

Ebola, which is spread by contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials, manifests as a deadly hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.

Scientists suspect the first person infected with Ebola in an outbreak acquired the virus through contact with an infected animal or eating its raw meat. Ugandan officials are still investigating the source of the latest outbreak.

The first victim was a male nurse who died the day before the outbreak was declared.

He had sought treatment at multiple facilities in Kampala and in eastern Uganda, where he also visited a traditional healer in trying to diagnose his illness, before later dying in Kampala.

Uganda’s last outbreak, discovered in September 2022, killed at least 55 people before it was declared over in January 2023.

Dr. Emmanuel Batiibwe, a hospital director who helped lead efforts to stop that outbreak, described the current one as “amorphous,” throwing up sporadic cases that require more serious surveillance to locate and isolate contacts.

Ebola in Uganda is the latest in a trend of outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers in the east African region.

Tanzania declared an outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg disease in December last year and January this year as Rwanda announced its own outbreak of Marburg was over.

Uganda has had multiple Ebola outbreaks, including one in 2000 that killed hundreds.

The 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed more than 11,000 people, the disease’s largest death toll. Ebola was discovered in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, where it occurred in a village near the Ebola River, after which the disease is named.

Kenya president and opposition leader sign deal to work together

NAIROBI, Kenya

President of Kenya, William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have officially signed a political pact signaling an endeavour to work together in one government.

The deal between the Ruto’s ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party and Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) was on Friday officially signed at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

President Ruto and Raila both appended their signatures to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) while flanked by their respective party officials.

Speaking after the signing, ODM National Chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga lauded the new partnership, terming it a sign of putting national interest above self.

“The unity and stability and prosperity of this country is not the responsibility of a few; it is the responsibility of all of us, as a nation. And while we may have different political persuasions, and come from different parts of the country and different schools of thought, nobody can fault unity. Nobody can fault equity,” she stated.

“This unity that you have put together today is not about the two of you, because Baba has seen it all; in fact he has enough for all generations. The President has sat on all positions. So, in my thinking, this unity is for the young people, women, the marginalized...it is for all Kenyans who have felt like they have never been part of Kenya.”

Her UDA counterpart and Embu County boss Cecily Mbarire echoed the remarks, further lauding the transparency of the process and the contents of the MoU.

Mbarire went ahead to commend President Ruto and Raila for putting aside their differences and hardline stances for the betterment of the nation.

“Today, we’re reminded yet again that the nation will always remain bigger than individual and party interests. I am happy that today, after rumors in the media, we’re not signing an agreement behind closed doors in some private space,” she said.

“I’m also happy that it has taken serious consultations through the party structures to get to where we are. I’m also happy that we have not signed a document which remains a secret to the people who we represent and who matter most. Today, Kenyans know what we have signed up to.”

South Sudan defends detention of Riek Machar allies

JUBA, South Sudan

South Sudan government has defended the controversial detention of allies of First Vice President Riek Machar, warning that they had a hand in skirmishes in Upper Nile State.

Government spokesperson, Michael Makuei, confirmed the arrests, saying the officials had been detained due to “conflict with the law.”

In a statement on Wednesday, he said the detained officials, including a senior military commander and a government minister, had played a role in arming the White Army, a militia that operates in Upper Nile State and is linked to Machar’s party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in Opposition (SPLM-IO).

Government forces had been deployed to Machar’s house on Tuesday, imposing a form of house arrest as other officials were detained. 

Mr Makuei said the problem began on February 28, when the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNoU), which includes President Salva Kiir, Dr Machar and various other factions that had fought in the civil war, met to discuss skirmishes.

“It is worth noting that the leadership of the SPLM/A-IO, in the meeting had distanced itself from the White Army, [they] nevertheless promised to talk to the White Army, which they did, but instead gave them the green light to proceed and attack the garrison.” He said, referring to a meeting between President Kiir and coalition partners meant to iron out the cause of the skirmishes.

“In fact, these are SPLM/A-IO forces and not the White army as claimed.”

Tensions in South Sudan had raised concerns among diplomats representing the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), the regional body that helped broker a peace deal in Juba, creating a coalition government in 2018.

The uncertainty came after Dr Machar was placed under house arrest and his allies detained.

The envoys accredited to South Sudan appealed for an immediate ceasefire following days of armed clashes in Upper Nile State between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army.

In a joint statement addressed to South Sudan’s coalition government, Igad diplomats expressed concern that the ongoing fighting in Nasir, Upper Nile, is undermining the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

“We are particularly alarmed by the recent reports of escalating tensions and armed clashes in Nasir County, which threaten the hard-won gains achieved in the implementation of the peace accord and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the region.

“We call upon the parties and their affiliate groups to immediately ceasefire and exercise maximum restraint. We emphasise the paramount importance of upholding the ceasefire and adhering to the provisions of the revitalised peace agreement. We welcome the recent meeting of the presidency and its outcomes and further encourage continuous dialogue and consultations within the framework of the peace accord,” the diplomats said.

Following the detentions, Machar’s party warned of imminent war if he was not freed.

In a press statement, the SPLM-IO said that Lt-Gen Gabriel Doup Lam, the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) was arrested on the orders of his boss, General Paul Nang.

“This action violates the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and cripples the Joint Defence Board, a vital institution of the agreement responsible for the command and control of all forces. This act puts the entire agreement at risk.

“We are also gravely concerned about the heavy deployment of SSPDF around the residence of Dr Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, the First Vice President and Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/A-IO,” said the party’s acting spokesperson Buok Buoth.

The SPLM-IO also added that Petroleum Minister Puot Kang had been arrested.

The White Army, a militia group composed mainly of armed Nuer youth, claimed control of the strategic town of Nassir after fierce fighting with government forces.

On Wednesday evening, Ter Chuol Gatkuoth, a White Army leader in Nasir, told Radio Tamazuj that his forces had successfully pushed the government troops out of the town.

The SSPDF has yet to issue an official statement on the situation. But, in a brief message posted on his official Facebook page, military spokesperson Maj-Gen Lul Ruai Koang said that the army was “not in a position to provide a media briefing on the security situation in Nasir and the surrounding areas”.

Nasir, a strategic town near the Ethiopian border, has long been a flashpoint. The White Army, known for its involvement in ethnic violence, has played a significant role in past conflicts, often opposing government forces.

The latest fighting in Upper Nile has raised fears of escalating violence, as the state has remained unstable since 2013. Tensions flared after the government announced plans to replace long-standing troops with newly deployed forces.

Local armed youth expressed concern that the incoming troops might target civilians or initiate a disarmament campaign. In response, community leaders have rejected the government’s deployment and called for a unified force instead.

Civil society activist Edmund Yakani has urged all parties to work toward de-escalation, warning that further delays could lead to an intensification of the conflict.

“The military incidents in parts of the country are deeply concernaing,” Mr Yakani said. “We urge the White Army leaders in Nasir to embrace peace and refrain from violence. Dialogue should be used to address grievances related to the presence of the SSPDF in Nasir.”

As tensions mount, the future of the revitalised peace agreement remains uncertain, with growing fears that continued clashes could derail South Sudan’s fragile peace process.

Sudan sues UAE for ‘enabling genocide’

KHARTOUM, Sudan

A dispatch from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday said Sudan has accused UAE of being complicit in “acts which have been perpetrated by RSF and militias allied with it, including, but not limited to genocide, murder, theft of property, rape, forcible displacement, trespassing, vandalism of public properties, and violation of human rights.”

It said the violence on these people was “perpetrated and enabled by the direct support given to the rebel RSF militia and related militia groups by the United Arab Emirates.”

While it has denied it many times, the UAE has previously been accused of sending arms to the RSF to commit atrocities. 

In January this year, the US sanctioned top leaders of the RSF, including Mohamed Hamdani  Dagalo ‘Hemedti’, accusing them of genocide.

The US, however, also sanctioned leaders of Sudan's armed forces including the head of the military government—Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. It accused him of enabling violence and atrocities on civilians. 

Both sides have traded accusations of heinous crimes in the war that has seen at least 30,000 people killed and 12 million displaced.

Sudan filed the suit as it lobbied heavily against the RSF and its support abroad. Suing the UAE is seen as a strategy to force the Gulf country to halt military support. 

However, the junta is also limited as it is still suspended from the African Union for a coup committed in October 2021.

The case said Sudan was seeking the court’s decision on “acts adopted, condoned, taken, and being taken by the Government of the United Arab Emirates in connection with the genocide against the Masalit group in the Republic of the Sudan since at least 2023.”

Khartoum says that while the RSF is the direct perpetrator, the UAE is complicit in the genocide on the Masalit through provision of extensive financial, political, and military support for the militia.

The country specifically wants the UAE to be reprimanded for illegal arms supply to RSF.

EU will continue to fund Rwandan presence in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado

MAPUTO, Mozambique

Lesotho's foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, conveyed his shock and embarrassment after President Trump’s Congress address, in which he remarked that "nobody has ever heard of" Lesotho. Mpotjoane noted that this kind of behavior is not what one would expect from a head of state.

The European Union is continuing to support the Rwandan assistance for Mozambique’s fight against islamist terrorism, despite Rwanda’s role in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Cited by the daily electronic paper “Mozambique Times”, Jennifer Sanchez da Silva, the EU press officer for foreign affairs and security policy, said Rwanda is continuing to comply with the contractual terms governing EU funding for counter-terrorism efforts in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

The deployment of Rwandan troops to assist the Mozambican defence and secuity forces in the war against jihadist groups in Cabo Delgado, is budgeted at 20 million euros (about 21.4 million US dollars), disbursed by the European Council through the European Peace Facility (EPF).

But at the same time the EU has imposed sanctions against Rwanda because of its support for the M23 rebel group. Sanchez da Silva saw no contradiction. “The territorial integrity of the DRC is non-negotiable. The UN Charter applies everywhere,” she said.

But this had nothing to do with the fight against islamism in Cabo Delgado.

“Rwanda has so far fulfilled all commitments related to the European Peace Facility (EPF) assistance measure for its military deployment in Mozambique,” said Sanchez da Silva. “EPF support is provided based on guarantees of strict compliance with international humanitarian law and respect for human rights”.

It is estimated that around 4,000 Rwandan military personnel and police officers are currently deployed in Cabo Delgado. The area under the responsibility of Rwandan troops has also expanded. 

Initially, they were deployed only in the districts of Palma and Mocímboa da Praia, a region that hosts natural gas exploration projects led by multinational companies, notably the French firm TotalEnergies, which has an approved investment of 23 billion US dollars.

But the Rwandan troops have moved further south and are now also responsible for the districts of Muidumbe, Macomia, Ancuabe, and Montepuez.

“This [Rwandan] support is necessary and highly appreciated by Mozambique, constituting a tangible contribution to fighting the terrorist insurgency in Cabo Delgado and protecting the local population,” said Sanchez da Silva.

As for the post-election unrest in Mozambique, Sanchez da Silva said that the EU is open to supporting the country in a “dialogue involving all relevant stakeholders to implement the necessary and urgent reforms.”

Disappointment in Lesotho after Trump's remarks on "little-known nation"

MASERU, Lesotho

Lesotho's foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, conveyed his shock and embarrassment after President Trump’s Congress address, in which he remarked that "nobody has ever heard of" Lesotho. Mpotjoane noted that this kind of behavior is not what one would expect from a head of state.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently claimed that no one knows about Lesotho, a small African nation.

In response, Lesotho's foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, expressed his disappointment, stating that Trump should "speak for himself."

He highlighted the irony of Trump's comment, especially since the U.S. maintains an embassy in Lesotho.

Mpotjoane suggested that Trump's remarks seemed to target Lesotho due to its economic status, cautioning that the U.S. might one day find itself in need of Lesotho's assistance.

Interestingly, while Trump was making his remarks, his advisor Elon Musk was actively pursuing business opportunities in the country.

During a lengthy speech, Trump criticized U.S. foreign aid, specifically mentioning an $8 million allocation for LGBTQI+ initiatives in Lesotho, which he claimed was unfamiliar to most.

His comments drew laughter from the audience, including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Meanwhile, Musk was engaged in discussions with Lesotho's Prime Minister, Sam Matekane, about launching his Starlink internet service in the country.

Starlink has applied for a 10-year operating license in Lesotho, as part of its efforts to expand across Africa.

Musk, who hails from South Africa, met with Matekane during the United Nations General Assembly, sharing a handshake photo on social media with a message hinting at promising future collaborations.

Musk has played a key role in the disbanding of the United States Agency for International Development as the leader of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.

These budget cuts have jeopardized Lesotho’s HIV program, resulting in the layoff of at least 1,500 health workers, which constitutes around 7% of the nation’s healthcare workforce.

The government has labeled this a significant setback. U.S. assistance has been vital in enabling Lesotho to provide life-saving treatment to over 200,000 individuals living with HIV.

For nearly two decades, Lesotho has benefited from American support through USAID, which contributed more than $44 million last year.

The agency's dismantling and the widespread termination of U.S. foreign aid contracts have disproportionately affected Africa compared to other regions.

When asked about Trump's remarks on promoting LGBTQI+ rights in Lesotho, the foreign minister stated he was unaware of the $8 million contract Trump referenced, as USAID funding primarily flowed through non-governmental organizations.

The minister did not address the cuts to U.S. aid.

Although Lesotho decriminalized homosexuality in 2012, same-sex marriages remain unrecognized, and activists report that LGBTQ individuals continue to experience stigma and discrimination.

This is not the first instance of Trump making derogatory comments about Africa; during his initial term, he infamously used a vulgar term to describe certain African nations.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 07/05/2025

 

Europe's leaders to hold Ukraine talks at 'turning point in history'

BRUSSELS, Belgium

EU leaders gather in Brussels on Thursday for a special council on defence, as France's President Emmanuel Macron warned that the continent was at a "turning point of history".

As well as rearmament, leaders are expected to discuss how the body can further support Kyiv in the face of US President Donald Trump's announcement on Monday that he would suspend aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is invited to the summit.

Nerves have grown increasingly frayed across Europe since Trump and Zelensky's showdown at the White House last week, and the rhetoric around Thursday's summit leaves no doubt about the importance EU officials are ascribing to it.

Three years on since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Trump administration's overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin have left many in Europe concerned the continent would not be able to rely on US support for its security.

Washington's decision on Wednesday to pause intelligence sharing with Ukraine did nothing to allay those worries.

In a sign of the depth of concern, President Macron said France was open to discussing extending the protection offered by its nuclear arsenal to its European partners, during an address to the nation on Wednesday.

That followed a call from Friedrich Merz, likely to be Germany's next chancellor, to discuss increased nuclear sharing.

Europe was facing a "clear and present danger on a scale that none of us have seen in our adult lifetime", European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said, while European Council President António Costa said this was a "defining moment for Ukraine and European security".

In a letter to European leaders, von der Leyen also said the continent had to "meet the moment" and "unleash our industrial and productive power and direct it to the goal of security".

On Monday, von der Leyen announced an unprecedented defence package - dubbed ReArm Europe - and said that Europe was ready to "massively" boost its defence spending "with the speed and the ambition that is needed".

Von der Leyen said the three proposals outlined in the ReArm Europe plan would both support Ukraine and "address the long-term need to take much more responsibility" for European security - likely referring to the fact many Europeans feel the continent can no longer automatically rely on the US to come to its aid.

The proposals include:

• Allowing countries to increase national deficit levels to give room for more defence spending
• €150bn (£125bn) in loans for defence investment in domains that could benefit the defence of the EU as a whole - for example, air and missile defence, anti-drone systems, and military mobility - helping pool demand, and reduce costs through joint procurement
• Allowing countries to redirect funds earmarked for cohesion policy programmes (policies aimed at levelling the differences between more and less advantaged regions) to defence spending

The European Investment Bank would also be allowed to finance military projects.

Support for Ukraine will be at the centre of Thursday's summit

According to von der Leyen, the plan could free up a total of €800bn ($860bn; £670bn) in defence expenditure.

Many European leaders have signalled their support for swift, decisive action in regards to the continent's security.

Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, said the Commission's plan represented "a fundamental shift", while Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that the summit would give Europe the opportunity to show "whether it's just a debate club or whether we can make decisions".

But dissent from certain European leaders sympathetic to Moscow is expected.

Earlier this week, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said the EU's "peace through strength" approach was "unrealistic".

And in a letter to Costa, Hungary's Viktor Orban demanded that Ukraine not be mentioned in any written conclusions following the summit.

Orban - who has repeatedly attempted to block EU aid to Ukraine and has praised Trump for "standing bravely for peace" - said there was now a "strategic divide... between the majority of Europe and the USA".

"One side insists on prolonging the war in Ukraine, while the other seeks an end to the conflict," he added.

Yet Orban left the door open for a "greater probability for cooperation" with other leaders over issues of common security and defence.

While Thursday's crisis summit is taking place in Brussels, UK Defence Secretary John Healey will be in Washington for discussions with his counterpart Pete Hegseth on the US decision to pause intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Their bilateral meeting will focus on a possible peace plan while efforts continue to bridge a transatlantic rift over Kyiv's future security.

Perhaps in a final bid to try and achieve unity ahead of the summit, Emmanuel Macron - who has positioned himself at the centre of the EU's efforts to bridge the gap between Kyiv and Washington - invited Orban to have dinner in Paris on Wednesday evening.

The two leaders met immediately after the French president gave a sombre address to the nation in which he said that France and Europe needed to be ready if the US was no longer by their side.

"We have to be united and determined to protect ourselves," Macron said. He added that the future of Europe could not be tied to Washington or Moscow, and said that while he "wanted to believe that the US will stay by our side, we have to be ready for this not to be the case".

The French president plans to hold a meeting of European army chiefs in Paris next week.

Macron said that "decisive steps" would be taken in Brussels, leaving European countries "more ready to defend and protect themselves".

"The moment calls for unprecedented decisions," he concluded.