EU leaders are gathering in Brussels for the second day of a summit coming in the wake of the US-Iran peace deal and with expectations that the Trump administration will now devote more attention to the war in Ukraine.
Leaders will today address the next seven-year EU budget, an issue likely to dominate the upcoming Irish presidency of the EU.
Last night, EU leaders stopped short of calling for tougher trade measures against China, against the backdrop of a widening trade gap and accusations that Beijing is flooding the European market with heavily subsidised goods.
They talked well into the night on the big geopolitical challenges, mindful that there is at least some good news with the US-Iran peace agreement.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged European allies to help Kyiv counter Russian ballistic missiles and to speed up the purchase of US Patriot air defence systems.
He said Ukraine was shaping Europe’s defence and that the best security guarantee was fast-tracked membership of the EU.
There was also strong criticism by France, Germany and other countries over an initiative by a senior EU diplomat to open a channel of communication to the Kremlin.
It was confirmed that the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, had asked his chief of staff to open a diplomatic channel in order, said an official, to defend the EU’s interests in the event of a ceasefire.
Leaders also discussed how to counter what is regarded as Chinese dumping of electric vehicles and other industrial goods on the European market, as well as how to become less dependent on China for rare earths and other critical minerals.
However, they stopped short of calling on the European Commission to take tough trade measures against Beijing for now.
Volodymyr Zelensky told the EU summit that every democratic nation in Europe deserved to be in the EU (file pic)
Mr Zelensky, whose comments were posted in a video on X, told the summit that every democratic nation in Europe deserved to be in the EU and "Ukraine merits this because it has paid more than any other country for its right to be free, independent and ... European".
European Union ambassadors agreed last week to advance membership talks with both Ukraine and ex-Soviet Moldova with discussions beginning on the first of six "clusters" to bring legislation and standards into line with the bloc.
"The future of Europe - free, united and of course in peace - is being decided in our defence. That shows how unique our situation is," Mr Zelensky said.
He acknowledged that not all members would support an accelerated accession.
"The most important such step - I know that not everyone loves this - could be a fast-track path for Ukraine to join the EU."
Mr Zelensky also said the security of Europe depended on securing funding for Ukraine's military, and the EU and the "coalition of willing" countries supporting it could develop the financial instruments to ensure that.
A statement issued by the European Council after the summit welcomed the beginning of accession talks for Ukraine and said it "looks forward to the opening of the other clusters, in line with the merit-based approach".
In an audio message issued at the end of the summit and an earlier meeting of the Ramstein group on military assistance for Ukraine, Mr Zelensky restated that Ukraine was ready for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on resolving the more than four-year-old war.
However, he urged Europe to remain vigilant and maintain pressure on Moscow.
"Europe has to be engaged for us to have a strong position, to commit fully on sanctions without loopholes, on confiscation without exceptions and on funding Ukraine," he said.
Two killed in northeastern Ukraine
Two people were killed and another two wounded after Russia hit the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy with bombs, drones and missiles, Ukraine's police said today.
Another nine, including four children, needed medical assistance after Russia hit Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv with bombs, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.
A Russian drone attack killed one crew member of a Panama-flagged ship in the Black Sea waters and wounded two more, the Ukrainian deputy prime minister said.
Oleksiy Kuleba said on the Telegram app that another vessel, under the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag, was also hit and its three crew members were lightly injured.
Additional reporting: Reuters
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