As ties with Trump sour, Zelensky presses Europe for more air defences and money. Merz says the EU must find more funds as Kyiv warns of a budget shortfall.
BRUSSELS (Belgium): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Brussels Thursday seeking to rally support from Europe as his relations with US President Donald Trump have taken a fresh battering.
Zelensky said he would meet NATO chief Mark Rutte and hold a string of bilateral talks with European leaders before joining an EU summit on Friday.
“All of us in Europe want this war to end. And for that to happen, strong signals are needed — more real pressure on Russia and more defence support for Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote online.
“It is especially important now to act together to protect lives.”
In a move that risked infuriating Trump, Zelensky said in remarks published Thursday that Ukraine will no longer abide by Washington’s demands not to strike Russian oil refineries.
That move came after Trump drew condemnation from Kyiv for striking a deal with Moscow to supply oil — and as Ukraine complained of disruptions to a critical US satellite communications system.
European leaders have broadly thrown their support behind Zelensky, as they look to weather the latest storm in Trump’s volatile relations with Kyiv.
“I can reassure you, dear Ukrainian friends and President Zelensky: YOU ARE NOT ALONE,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted online from Brussels.
A string of leaders backed Ukraine’s right to hit the refineries that provide Russia with a key source of revenue to finance its war machine.
“The faster all the Russian refineries and ability to sell energy will be blown to smithereens the better,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
Dutch premier Rob Jetten said the bloc “stood shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainians, and they have to do whatever is necessary to protect the Ukrainian people.”
While the latest falling-out with Trump is likely to dominate discussions, Zelensky will also press allies for more air defences and focus minds on Kyiv’s pressing financing needs.
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the EU will have to find more money to finance Ukraine, as Kyiv warns it faces a major budget shortfall next year.
“We will have to increase the funds again here in order to really assist Ukraine on a lasting basis,” he said.
The EU has in place a 90-billion-euro ($101-billion) loan for Kyiv that was set to help cover funding to the end of 2027.
But the Ukrainian authorities have warned they will need tens of billions more as Russia’s strikes have battered the country’s economy.