Europe urgently needs to rearm and member states must be given the fiscal space to carry out a surge in defence spending, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday after a meeting about support for Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated that Europe must urgently rearm. She will propose a plan for this next week, informs The Guardian. Following a summit in London, von der Leyen said that European leaders had a productive and candid discussion about what is needed to put Ukraine in a position of strength.

The European Union must "urgently" rearm and help Ukraine turn into a "steel porcupine" that proves "indigestible for future invaders" like Russia, Ursula von der Leyen said at the conclusion of a high-stakes summit in London attended by 19 Western leaders.