EU leaders rally around Zelenskiy as Trump calls Ukrainian strikes on Russia a ‘disgrace’

The EU is hosting Zelenskiy in Brussels at one of the most difficult moments for Ukraine, with missiles and drones raining down on Ukrainian cities and fears that the US could pull back intelligence sharing and weapons support from Kyiv.

Trump blindsided Zelenskiy last weekend by announcing that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities. Facing US midterm elections in November, Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for pushing up energy prices that could cost him at the ballot box.

The US has also struck a diesel deal with Russia, angering Ukraine and European allies.

"We want to end this war as quick as possible. We don't see now signals from the Russian side that they are ready for this, to end this war. That's why we have to prepare for the winter," Zelenskiy said as he arrived at the summit, hugging many of the leaders as he met them.

"The winter package is not only energy, it's also air defence and funding," Zelenskiy said.

In the latest attacks, Russian drone strikes on the city of Kharkiv killed three people, while strikes elsewhere left hundreds of thousands of people without power.

In an interview, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Reuters that the EU would probably have to provide a new loan to Ukraine to help cover its budget gap for next year.

“Last winter was already hell, this one will be once again like hell,” Michal said.

"We have a lot of gaps to fill, and this is a European mission to fill the gaps that Ukraine needs. Because always, at the start (and) at the end of every conversation, people need to be reminded that we are sitting in a warm room, lights are on, heating is on, the coffee is warm, and we cannot get tired of the war in Ukraine, because they are fighting ... for us."

NO READY-MADE EUROPEAN ALTERNATIVE TO STARLINK

Ukraine's leadership has been alarmed by disruptions to the SpaceX Starshield satellite system used by Kyiv for battlefield communications and drone operations. A source in Ukraine's defence ministry said on Thursday that Starshield receptors were only working at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kph), complicating their use for military missions.

A US official has denied that Trump ordered a deliberate slowdown of Starshield, which is the military-grade version of the Starlink service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, and Trump said this week intelligence sharing with Ukraine continued.

Europe does not have a ready-made alternative to Starlink, although European governments and companies are working on long-term options.

"Starlink is really necessary for Ukraine. And unfortunately, in short term, Europe can't replace this capability," said the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

"We are working on the new sanctions package to put the pressure on Russia, and we of course hope that we do this with all our partners around the world," she added.

Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery after Zelenskiy declared that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ceasefire that Trump had announced.

"All he's doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that's a disgrace," Trump said in an interview with the Newsmax news outlet.

While EU leaders hit out at the US deal to buy Russian diesel, they are also grappling with how to tackle energy prices that have soared since the Iran war, exposing divisions between member states on day one of the summit on Thursday.

Zelenskiy told Reuters earlier this month that Ukraine had agreed a plan with European partners that would allow it to close a $27 billion deficit in its military spending for this year, allowing it to order the drones needed to continue fighting at the start of 2027.

However, Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko said recently Ukraine still faced an unfunded budget gap for next year of $32.6 billion – and that does not include an estimated $40 billion in direct military supplies from allies.

"I am unhappy with the number of countries that have been willing to pledge new financial support to Ukraine," said Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.

Sounding a more sceptical note, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker urged caution in the debate over making new, far-reaching financial commitments to Ukraine.

"There are so many figures being bandied about that we now need to put them into context, explain them and make it clear where this shortfall is coming from. I’m surprised too," he said.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray, Bart H. Meijer, Philip Blenkinsop, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Louise Rasmussen, Lili Bayer, Andreas Rinke; writing by Matthias Williams, Editing by Alex Richardson)