Doha: European equities closed slightly higher Monday, buoyed by a rally in defense stocks. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.17 percent to finish at 551.07 points. Leading the gains was the aerospace and defense sector, which climbed 2.1 percent, nearing a record high. Shares of major defense firms - including Rolls-Royce Holdings, Rheinmetall, and Hensoldt - rose between 2.8 and 4.5 percent.

According to Qatar News Agency, the uptick followed a report in the Financial Times quoting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said the bloc is preparing "very detailed plans" to deploy forces to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees. Shares of Britain's BAE Systems gained 1.8 percent after Norway announced it had selected the UK to supply new frigates in a deal worth approximately GBP 10 billion (USD 13.51 billion).

Overall market gains were tempered by rising long-term bond yields across the eurozone, as investors remained wary of mounting global sovereign debt levels. Germany's 30-year bond yield briefly hit a 14-year high of 3.381 percent before easing to 3.36 percent. Meanwhile, the utilities sector - often viewed as a bond proxy - fell 0.9 percent, leading sectoral losses on the Stoxx 600.