EU leaders to decide future path at summit

A crucial two-day European Union summit kicked off in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, with leaders of the bloc's 27 member nations set to decide its future direction and the people to fill its top jobs for the next five years.

In the aftermath of Europe-wide elections from June 6 to 9 where the far right made significant gains, the summit could feature a power struggle between nations wanting to continue the status quo and those wanting a corresponding shift to the right in the bloc's ethos.

Defense presents a big issue at the gathering, with national leaders signing a security agreement with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky that sets out the bloc's continued support for his nation amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict and this includes a commitment to lend Ukraine 50 billion euros ($53.4 billion) generated from assets seized from Russia's central bank.