EU leaders rally behind Zelensky as Macron vows Europe will not abandon Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Brussels for the second day of an EU summit, where European leaders rallied behind him and France's Emmanuel Macron vowed that Europe will not abandon Ukraine. Mr Zelensky thanked EU leaders for what he called huge support, describing them as real leaders, a phrase widely seen as a pointed contrast with President Donald Trump.

Speaking alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, Mr Zelensky said energy needs were his first priority. He called for a winter package covering energy, air defence and funding, and said talks should cover not only 2026 but also 2027. He thanked Ukraine's parliament and government for reforms and said he wanted the final two EU accession clusters opened by the end of the year.

At the summit, Mr Zelensky asked European leaders for an extra 70 billion euros in aid for next year. EU leaders broadly signalled support, but privately urged him to tone down his public criticism of President Trump. The EU and its member states now account for about 80% of external aid to Ukraine, making the bloc Kyiv's largest donor, though European officials acknowledge they cannot fully replace American weapons, intelligence and satellite communications.

Relations between Washington and Kyiv remain at a new low. President Trump called Ukraine's renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries a disgrace and said they push up world oil prices. He said Mr Zelensky was harder to deal with than Vladimir Putin and suggested a settlement would not be reached with him. Mr Trump also said he had asked Mr Zelensky not to attack Russian refineries. Mr Zelensky responded that a US diesel deal with Russia was inappropriate and had surprised Ukraine. He said he had been unaware of the arrangement and of any lifting of sanctions. He offered an energy ceasefire, and if that was not possible, asked for anti-ballistic missiles to protect Ukraine's energy grid for the duration of the diesel deal. He said there were no signals from Russia that it was ready to end the war.

Reports from Reuters added to European alarm. Two US officials and a Western official said the order to slow Ukraine's military satellite network, Starlink and Starshield, came from inside the White House. The administration denied making such a request, and President Trump said neither he nor Elon Musk had ordered any throttling. Mr Zelensky said the system had still not returned to full speed, after being slowed earlier in the week. The UK's Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, said he was reassured that Ukraine's access to Starlink had now been restored. Mr Zelensky said Europe had enough Patriot interceptor missiles to help protect Ukraine this winter, but the process of getting them was piecemeal, with one or two here, five there and ten elsewhere.

Ukraine remains under heavy Russian attack. Russia struck nine regions, causing mass power outages. At least three people were killed in Kharkiv, and there were attacks on a shopping centre in Sumy, a supermarket and logistics facility in Odesa, and power infrastructure in Lutsk and Lviv. Ukraine said it hit Russian oil refineries in Omsk and Ukhta and a Russian data centre, describing the strikes as symmetrical responses. The UN says civilian casualties are at record levels, with 328 killed in Russian strikes last month alone.

On the battlefield, Ukraine has made gains after months on the back foot. Its Operation Vivaldi counter-offensive in the east has retaken more than 100 square miles of occupied land and ended a major Russian advance, though many of the retaken villages are destroyed and dangerous. President Putin told his troops they still need to capture 10% of eastern Ukraine and said Russia was establishing a non-negotiable security zone along the front line. Russia's chief US envoy said economic deals with Washington were beginning, covering data centres, fertiliser, rare earths and the Arctic, with the diesel deal as one such project and no need to wait for the end of the war.

European leaders also discussed frozen Russian assets. The Financial Times reported that US envoys proposed that Europe unfreeze the assets and move them into a fund overseen by Washington to revive peace talks. European officials rejected the idea. Germany's Chancellor said the money was European and the decision was Europe's. The EU already uses profits from the immobilised assets to support Ukraine.

The visit produced no major new breakthrough, but it gave Mr Zelensky political and economic reassurance from European capitals at a time when US support looks increasingly uncertain. Asked whether he was being used as a scapegoat for President Trump's domestic problems before next month's US midterms, Mr Zelensky paused, then smiled, and gave no answer.