Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor of Germany, and summit chairman Antonio Costa discussed over breakfast in Brussels ways to fortify Europe’s defenses on a short deadline. Merz pushed plans this week to loosen the nation’s rules on running up debt to allow for higher defense spending.

The summit follows a fortnight of frantic shuttle diplomacy between Washington, London and Paris by Europe’s most senior leaders, in an attempt to both devise a European “peace plan” potentially involving troops on the ground in Ukraine, and keep Trump engaged in supporting Ukraine and protecting Europe.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering imposing “large scale” sanctions on Russia to pressure the country into a ceasefire and peace deal with Ukraine. Trump’s warning in a social media post followed Russia’s first major missile attack against Ukraine since the Trump administration paused intelligence-sharing with the embattled country.