Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to European leaders in Brussels for nearly $80 billion in new funding for next year, while confronting a deepening rift with Washington over energy deals and satellite communication restrictions as Russia continued its bombardment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels on Friday for a European Union summit, stepping into a gathering of 27 national leaders against the backdrop of mounting friction with the United States. Meeting with European Council President António Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Zelenskyy delivered a direct warning about the months ahead as Russian missiles and drones target his country’s power grid. Putin wants to destroy us,
Zelenskyy told reporters at the summit, emphasizing that Ukraine must prepare for a hard winter. The summit marked a pivotal moment, four-and-a-half years after neighbouring Russia invaded, with Russian missiles and drones raining down daily on Ukrainian cities.
The diplomatic strain between Washington and Kyiv intensified after U.S. President Donald Trump struck a diesel deal with Russia, stepping back from earlier sanctions. Trump criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries as a disgrace that pushed up global oil prices.
All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher.
Well, I think that’s a disgrace.
President Trump, via Newsmax
Trump also remarked in a television interview with Newsmax that he found Zelenskyy more difficult to deal with than Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tensions have a long history, dating back to 2019 when Trump was impeached by the Democrat-led U.S. House of Representatives for pressuring Zelenskyy for a domestic political favour in exchange for military aid, followed by public admonishments last year from Trump and Vice-President JD Vance at the White House over a perceived lack of gratitude for U.S. support.
In response, Zelenskyy abandoned a brief energy ceasefire announced by Washington, asserting that Moscow had failed to observe it. Ukrainian forces subsequently resumed attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, leading Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov to state that the truce was never defined, so Russia cannot be accused of breaking it.
Starlink Restrictions and Air Defense Pressures Strain Military Operations
Beyond diplomatic fallout, Kyiv faced operational hurdles on the battlefield as aerospace giant Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, tweaked parameters to limit terminals traveling above 160 kilometers per hour. Zelenskyy confirmed that while Starlink speeds had been adjusted, Europe currently has no ready-made alternative to replace the capability in the short term, as noted by the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials reportedly told Ukraine’s embassy in Washington that information sharing would stop immediately if Kyiv kept striking Russian energy targets.
At the same time, air defenses remain heavily strained. With Russian forces launching close to 1,000 drones in recent days and leaving hundreds of thousands without power in cities like Kharkiv, European allies stepped in with renewed expressions of solidarity.
European Union Leaders Rally Around Zelenskyy and Weigh 2027 Financial Aid
European Council President António Costa asserted that it is no time to withdraw support to Ukraine, pledging that the EU hopes this will force Russia to agree to a genuine ceasefire and return to negotiations.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal warned that the upcoming cold season would be severe, noting that last winter was already hell, this one will be once again like hell
and describing the task of filling funding gaps as a shared European mission. While EU leaders considered the request, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten expressed unhappiness with the number of countries willing to pledge new financial support, and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker urged caution regarding the debate over making new, far-reaching financial commitments. As the bloc simultaneously wrestled with internal budget negotiations and a financing gap for 2027 that the government in Kyiv estimates at $78 billion, the Ukrainian president concluded his press conference with an emotional statement: We will keep living and fighting with dignity.