Former prime minister Gabriel Attal saw it as a "giant step forward" for Europe's democratic forces. A form of retaliation, now finally launched against the "reactionary steamroller" represented by far-right movements the world over, supported by US President Donald Trump's teams. Yet the significance of the "democracy and liberties summit," organized by Attal on Monday, March 24, was, above all, symbolic.

Nevertheless, three days before the Paris summit, held to reaffirm the 27 European Union member states' support for Ukraine in its war against Vladimir Putin's Russia, Attal said he had sent national leaders a "strong signal" from the "progressive" camp, speaking to their "determination" to stand by Kyiv and build up European defense. "It's time to act. The honeymoon between Putin and Trump risks turning into a bitter moon for Europe," agreed Sandro Gozi, secretary general of the European Democratic Party, speaking alongside Attal.

Some 30 members of the European Parliament from the centrist Renew political group, and almost as many representatives of local political parties from Hungary, Slovakia and elsewhere, had taken up Attal's invitation, which was sent out less than two weeks ago. Gathered at the Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris, the political leaders, some of whom are opposition figures in their home countries, spoke out in favor of increasing EU member states' defense budgets to 3% of their respective gross domestic product; seizing Russian assets to finance the Ukrainian resistance; speeding up Ukraine's accession process to the European Union and, finally, allowing Ukrainian lawmakers to attend European Parliament sessions as observers "as soon as possible," and no later than 2026.

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