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European Markets Close Mixed
European stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday, September 24, although defense stocks received support from US President Donald Trump's recent comments regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 1.07 points, or 0.19%, to close at 553.88.
The German DAX index closed the session up 55.48 points, or 0.23%, to close at 23,666.81.
The UK's FTSE 100 index rose 27.11 points, or 0.29%, to close at 9,250.43.
The French CAC 40 index fell 44.57 points, or 0.57%, to close at 7,827.45.
Defense stocks were among the best performers during the session, with the STOXX Europe Aerospace and Defense index rising about 1.3%.
Shares in German companies Renke and Hensoldt rose about 8%, and Swedish Saab rose about 5.5%.
This comes after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Ukraine could reclaim all of its territory from Russia, a significant shift in his position.
"I believe Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and reclaim all of its territory to its original state," the US president said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
He added, "With time, patience, and financial support from Europe, especially NATO, the original borders from which this war began are a very real possibility."
Trump met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, and also expressed support for NATO members to shoot down any Russian aircraft that violates their airspace.
