Belgium: European Union leaders rallied around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels on Friday as US President Donald Trump criticised Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries, calling them a 'disgrace'.
Zelenskyy met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa to discuss financial support for Ukraine as the country faces a wartime budget crisis, a large military funding deficit, stalled economic growth, and domestic revenue shortfalls caused by intensified Russian strikes on businesses and infrastructure.
EU leaders gathered for the second day of European Council meetings, with support for Ukraine among the key issues under discussion. The meeting comes at a difficult time for Kyiv, as Russian missiles and drones continue to strike Ukrainian cities and concerns grow that the US could scale back intelligence sharing and weapons support.
"Today will be more about talking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy about how to deal with the complex diplomatic situation that has arisen and how to survive the winter," Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said upon his arrival.
One of Friday's main topics was expected to be the challenges facing Ukraine, including tensions with Washington over intelligence sharing and the continuing Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy's refusal to effectively comply with Trump's demand that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian refineries risks deepening the biggest rift between Kyiv and Washington since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Although Trump has described a ceasefire as a requirement for both Moscow and Kyiv, his public comments have focused largely on Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries. Over the weekend, he said the strikes had 'damn well better stop'.
The discussions in Brussels come as Ukraine seeks continued European financial backing while navigating uncertainty over the extent of future US support.