European Union leaders have gathered in Cyprus for an informal summit that will kick off an internal process to establish a mutual assistance clause that could, one day, stand in for NATO's Article 5, should the United States withdraw from the alliance, something that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the worsening energy crisis and the fate of the EU long-term budget will also be on the table. However, no decisions will be made on Thursday or Friday due to the meeting's informal nature.
