Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European leaders in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday as his country continues to endure persistent Russian attacks and faces increasing political pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration in the United States.
Zelenskyy’s latest visit to Brussels comes at a challenging time for Ukraine, as the White House has declared an indefinite suspension of all military aid and intelligence sharing.
The move is an attempt to pressure Kyiv into engaging in negotiations for a peace agreement with Russia, aiming to bring an end to Moscow’s three-year-long invasion.
This decision followed a contentious meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump in the Oval Office last week, which escalated into a heated argument and concluded with the Ukrainian delegation being asked to leave.
In response, Zelenskyy issued a statement this week describing the meeting as “regrettable.” He reaffirmed his willingness to participate in the U.S.-mediated peace process and to sign a contentious minerals-sharing agreement with Washington.
“Teams from the U.S. and Ukraine have resumed work, and we hope that next week we will have a meaningful meeting,” he wrote on X.
Andrii Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, is scheduled to travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday to meet with U.S. officials and discuss potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, a source within Zelenskyy’s office told.
The source added that additional Ukrainian officials and military representatives might also attend the discussions.
A Trump administration official confirmed to ABC News that U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz are expected to be present at the meeting.
“I think the idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire, as well,” Witkoff stated outside the White House on Thursday.
During his nightly address on Thursday, Zelenskyy announced his plans to visit Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He stated that his team would remain in the country to “work with American partners.”
Earlier that day, at a special meeting in the European Council building in Brussels, Zelenskyy outlined the “necessary steps for peace” in a speech, according to a transcript released by his office.
Zelenskyy reiterated the partial ceasefire concept that French President Emmanuel Macron proposed last week. The plan calls for Ukraine and Russia to mutually agree to halt long-range attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructure and to cease military operations in the Black Sea.
“Everyone needs to make sure that Russia, as the sole source of this war, accepts the need to end it,” Zelenskyy stated in his published remarks.
“This can be proved by two forms of silence that are easy to establish and monitor, namely, no attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructure—truce for missiles, bombs and long-range drones, and the second is truce on the water, meaning no military operations in the Black Sea.”
Expressing gratitude for the European leaders’ commitment to Ukraine’s defense amid ongoing Russian assaults, Zelenskyy called for a “significant part” of the defense funds under the proposed ReArm Europe Plan to be directed toward bolstering arms production in Ukraine.
“Let me emphasize once again that Ukrainians do really want peace, but not at the cost of giving up Ukraine,” he stressed in his statement. “Is Russia capable of giving up the war—this is the question that any negotiations must answer.”
Zelenskyy was welcomed at the European Council building by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
“We discussed strengthening the defense capabilities of Ukraine and the whole of Europe,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram regarding his meeting with von der Leyen and Costa.
Zelenskyy and Trump
“Air defense, weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, timely supplies, strengthening the Ukrainian defense industry, negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, the need to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and counteract the circumvention of sanctions—all this was among our topics today,” he wrote.
“Thank you for your leadership in discussing increasing Europe’s defense capabilities and strengthening Ukraine, for all your support on the path to a just and sustainable peace. It is very important that Ukrainians are not alone. We feel it and know it.”
As Zelenskyy arrived, von der Leyen wrote in a post on X, “Europe faces a clear and present danger. We must be able to defend ourselves and put Ukraine in a position of strength.”
Zelenskyy addressed the special meeting of the European Council and was expected to hold further discussions with European leaders on defense-related matters.
European Support and the U.S. Stance
European leaders have rallied behind Zelenskyy despite U.S. pressure, while also warning that lasting peace in Ukraine is unlikely without American involvement. The United Kingdom and France have indicated that they are working alongside Kyiv to present a peace proposal to Trump.
The early months of Trump’s second term have unsettled European allies, with his administration taking steps to question Zelenskyy’s legitimacy, echoing Russian narratives about the war, and criticizing Europe’s security capabilities.
Trump and his team have been hesitant to extend security guarantees to Kyiv as part of any peace deal with Russia—something that Zelenskyy and European leaders consider essential for any agreement’s success.
On Thursday, Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy, Keith Kellogg, suggested that signing the minerals deal would serve as a “de facto security guarantee” for Kyiv.
“If the United States has direct economic interest in Ukraine, then the United States has a direct invested interest to protect its economic interest, as well,” he explained during an event at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Regarding the suspension of intelligence-sharing, Kellogg characterized it as “a pause, not an end.” Acknowledging that withholding intelligence could have a significant impact on Ukraine’s military, he remarked, “We know that, but that’s one of the reasons why it was done.”
When asked whether the approach was exploitative toward Ukraine, Kellogg responded, “Very candidly, they brought it on themselves,” referencing the intense Oval Office confrontation from the previous week.
European Aid to Ukraine
Ahead of Zelenskyy’s visit to Brussels, European nations announced additional assistance packages for Ukraine.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof committed $3.8 billion in funding for 2026, allocating $700 million specifically for drone development.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store pledged to ensure a “significant increase” in aid for Ukraine, while Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that Poland would provide an additional $215 million in assistance.
Meanwhile, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated in an interview with France Inter that France has been sharing intelligence with Ukraine in light of the U.S. intelligence freeze.
Russia’s Response
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized the European meeting, claiming it undermined peace efforts.
“The EU is torpedoing any preconditions for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine,” Zakharova said, as reported by the state-run TASS news agency.
