Macron's offer of French nuclear deterrence to EU allies dominated morning coverage, prompting immediate Russian diplomatic response. By noon, Von der Leyen's presentation of the €800 billion ReArm Europe plan coincided with ECB's 0.25% rate cut, while Meloni rejected using cohesion funds for military spending.
Putin's afternoon response to Macron's nuclear shield proposal, comparing him to Napoleon, shifted media focus to escalating Franco-Russian tensions. The EU summit concluded with 26 states approving defense conclusions without Hungary, marking significant progress on European military integration despite internal divisions.
Evening coverage balanced between Pope Francis's first audio message since hospitalization - revealing a weakened but determined voice - and confirmation of next week's US-Ukraine meeting in Riyadh, suggesting potential movement on peace negotiations despite Trump's recent intelligence sharing suspension.