By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian officials and lawmakers on Thursday poured scorn on French President Emmanuel Macron for saying that Russia threatened Europe, and cautioned that such talk could lead the West towards the abyss of a new world war.

"During all this period, and last week, you stayed with us," the Ukrainian president tells European leaders in Brussels.

Days after his public spat with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, President Trump defended his handling of the Ukraine-Russia war during a speech to Congress. NBC News’ Matt Bodner reports on the latest details surrounding the Ukraine-Russia war.

One of the mechanisms Europe has at its disposal to make up the shortfall of American backing is to fully seize frozen Russian assets held in the region.

European countries have intensified talks on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine to monitor and enforce a possible ceasefire. There is no unity among European countries on the issue, with some of them openly opposing the idea.

According to experts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Trump administration is making a mistake by exerting constant pressure on Ukraine while simultaneously expressing no expectations of Russia in public communications.

European leaders are gathering in Brussels to discuss how to support Ukraine and fend more for themselves on defense.

European Union leaders backed new defense spending plans aimed at freeing up billions of euros for the continent’s security after the Trump administration signaled that Europe would have to fend for i

European Union leaders arriving in Brussels Thursday urged a revolutionary change to rebuild military infrastructure after decades of neglect and create a brand new security architecture in order to counter Russia.

But perhaps the biggest challenge for the EU will be building a united stance at a moment when it’s fractured, since much of the bloc’s actions requires unanimous support. Hungary is threatening to veto part of the summit statement on Ukraine, as is Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived on Thursday at a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels focused on increasing aid for Ukraine and European defence capacities. "During all this period and last week,

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Brussels on March 6 to attend an emergency EU summit, which was called to discuss further support for Ukraine and Europe's efforts to boost its own defense capabilities.