EU leaders prepare to support Zelenskiy as Trump criticises strikes on Russian refineries
Zelenskiy is seeking European support in Brussels amid Russian attacks, uncertainty over US assistance and a dispute with Trump over strikes on energy facilities.
Brussels, Belgium. European Union leaders are expected to show support for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at Friday’s summit, following renewed criticism from US President Donald Trump over Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries. Ukraine faces missile and drone attacks on its cities amid concerns that Washington could reduce intelligence cooperation and arms supplies to Kyiv.
Ukraine seeks winter support
Speaking on arrival at the summit, Zelenskiy said Ukraine wanted the war to end swiftly but saw no indication that Russia was prepared to stop fighting, making winter preparations necessary.
He said the winter assistance package needed to cover air defence and financing alongside energy, and that his discussions would address Ukrainian requirements through the remainder of this year and into 2027.
Earlier this month, Zelenskiy told Reuters that a plan agreed with European partners would enable Ukraine to cover a $27 billion shortfall in this year’s military budget. He said this would allow Kyiv to order drones needed to sustain its fighting at the beginning of 2027.
Dispute over energy strikes
Trump caught Zelenskiy by surprise last weekend when he announced an agreement under which Russia and Ukraine would refrain from attacking one another’s energy infrastructure. With US midterm elections approaching in November, Trump has blamed Ukrainian refinery attacks for raising energy prices, which he fears could hurt him electorally.
Zelenskiy subsequently said Kyiv was withdrawing from the energy ceasefire announced by Trump and criticised the US president’s readiness to make agreements with Moscow. Ukraine then attacked a Russian refinery southeast of Moscow that contributes to fuel supplies for the capital.
In an interview with Newsmax after that attack, Trump accused Zelenskiy of driving global oil prices higher and described his actions as a “disgrace”.
Sanctions and European energy pressures
A US official said on Wednesday that the Trump administration was also weighing sanctions relief for so-called shadow fleet vessels used to carry oil and petroleum products from countries including Russia.
EU leaders have criticised Trump’s diesel deal while confronting sharply rising energy prices since the Iran war. Those pressures revealed disagreements among member states on Thursday, the summit’s opening day.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →