NATO and EU defence ministers meet after Russian airspace incursions

NATO and European Union defence ministers are to gather in Brussels on Wednesday for a day of talks focused on the threat posed by Russia, military spending, European defence capabilities and support for war-torn Ukraine.

NATO ministers plan to kick off consultations with their first meeting since the Western defence alliance launched a new mission in September to better protect the airspace of its eastern European members following a string of Russian airspace violations.

Another topic on the table is likely to be the drastic hike in military spending agreed by NATO leaders in June after pressure from the United States. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to attend the meeting.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal is to join his NATO counterparts in the early afternoon for talks on the situation on the battlefield and Kiev's needs in the fight against Russia.

The meeting is scheduled to be followed by a gathering of the the so-called Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an international meeting to raise and coordinate military aid for Ukraine which brings together around 40 countries. Once led by the United States, the group is now steered by the UK and Germany.

In the evening the EU's 27 defence ministers are to discuss how to improve the bloc's defence readiness ahead of a leaders' summit later this month.