The head of NATO brings together Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the main European powers in Brussels on Wednesday evening to discuss the war in Ukraine, a few weeks before Donald Trump returns to the White House.
This meeting, which will take place at the residence of the NATO Secretary General, aims to bring together the European allies “the most resolute” in their support for kyiv in order to consolidate reflection on two subjects: how to approach the new Trump administration and that can more be done for Ukraine? summarizes a diplomat in Brussels.
“Europe needs a strong and united position to enable lasting peace,” the Ukrainian head of state said on his arrival in Brussels.
Europeans are worried about the possibility of a suspension of American military aid to Ukraine and Donald Trump’s promises to end the war “in 24 hours”. In this context, Ukraine is now raising the possibility of peace negotiations, which it has long rejected, on condition that its security is guaranteed.
The leaders of Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and the main institutions of the European Union are expected. Neither the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, nor the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who will visit Mayotte, a French archipelago in the Indian Ocean devastated by the cyclone Chido, will not be present. They will be represented by their foreign ministers.
“Strengthening Ukraine now is not only a moral imperative, but also a strategic one,” insisted the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday.
The priority is to ensure that Ukraine “is not forced to accept a peace that would be dictated to it”, echoed the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, upon his arrival in Brussels.
“Last peace”
On Tuesday, Mr. Zelensky called for “a lasting peace” that Russian President Vladimir Putin “can no longer break.” And the only way for him to guarantee it is for Ukraine to join NATO to benefit from its protection.
This “irreversible” perspective, according to NATO, is however not current and the idea is necessary to offer other security guarantees. France and Poland discussed last week in Warsaw the sending of troops to Ukraine to ensure compliance with a possible ceasefire.
The discussion is progressing, but it is still difficult given the uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s future proposals, underlines a European diplomat.
Mr. Rutte refused to address it on Wednesday, saying that talking about it in public would make things too “easy” for the Russians.
For the Ukrainian president, the urgency is above all to obtain more weapons in order to be able to change the situation on the battlefield.
According to Rutte, Ukraine has indicated that it needs 19 additional air defense systems to protect itself from constant strikes by Russian forces against its cities and energy infrastructure.
The Russian army claimed on Tuesday the conquest of 189 Ukrainian localities in 2024 and is making further progress every day.
