European shares opened lower on Wednesday morning, even as defense equities gained a boost from U.S. President Donald Trump's latest comments on the conflict in Ukraine.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 was down 0.5% at 8:27 a.m. in London (3:27 a.m. ET), with most sectors trading in the red.

Defense stocks bucked the trend, with the Stoxx Europe Aerospace and Defense Index gaining 1.1%.

Sweden's Saab gained 5%, German tank parts maker Hensoldt added 4.5%, and Swedish defense tech firm MilDef Group advanced 3.4%.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukraine could recoup all of its territory from Russia in a major shift in stance on Tuesday.

"I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form," the p

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