Zelenskyy praises Europe's 'real leaders' at EU summit as Trump tensions overshadow talks
Ukraine's president thanked EU leaders in Brussels for their support while facing pressure to soften his public criticism of US President Donald Trump.
At a glance
- Zelenskyy praised EU leaders as "real leaders" for their support at a Brussels summit on Friday.
- He faces pressure from EU officials to tone down his public criticism of US President Donald Trump.
- Ukraine says Starlink restrictions have hurt the connectivity it uses to defend against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked European leaders for standing by Kyiv at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, as his strained relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump overshadowed talks aimed at securing further support for Ukraine.
"I'm so thankful that we have such huge support from EU Council Commission and leaders – real leaders," Zelenskyy said, pointing to Europe's backing since the war began.
Starlink restrictions add to Ukraine's strain
The summit comes after SpaceX's Starlink service was restricted in Ukraine earlier in the week, slowing the connectivity Ukraine relies on to defend against Russian attacks. CNBC reported that the move has contributed to flaring tensions between Washington and Kyiv.
Serhiy Derkach, Ukraine's First Deputy Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport, told CNBC that Russia sees the U.S. limit on battlefield Starlink use as an opening to "inflict even more pain and suffering on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure."
"We are definitely moving towards very harsh weeks and months and need our partners' support now more than ever," he added.
EU leaders plan to urge restraint
Zelenskyy is also facing growing pressure to tone down his public criticism of Trump. Three officials familiar with summit preparations told the Financial Times that EU leaders plan to privately urge him to do so when they meet him in Brussels on Friday. Politico reported that some EU leaders are concerned about how Zelenskyy has handled the relationship, with one EU diplomat calling his public criticism of Trump "not helpful."
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants to end the war as quickly as possible. "We don't see now signals from Russia side that they are ready for this to end this war," he said. His comments followed remarks on Wednesday that Russia had not respected the "energy ceasefire" announced by Trump.
Dispute over the energy ceasefire
Trump said last week that the two countries had agreed to stop attacking each other's power infrastructure — a surprise to both Russian and Ukrainian officials — in an apparent effort to ease oil and diesel prices ahead of U.S. midterm elections in November.
Zelenskyy welcomed the proposal and said Ukraine had held off strikes on Russian energy targets for three days to abide by Washington's wishes, but he described the deal to supply diesel to global markets as "weak." Russia has not confirmed it agreed to an energy ceasefire, saying only that talks are "ongoing." Russian authorities did not respond to multiple CNBC requests for comment.
Source: CNBC.
Questions and answers
- What did Zelenskyy say at the EU summit in Brussels?
- He thanked EU leaders for their "huge support," calling them "real leaders," and said Ukraine wants to end the war as quickly as possible but sees no signals from Russia that it is ready to stop.
- Why are Zelenskyy's relations with Trump strained?
- Tensions flared after SpaceX's Starlink service was restricted in Ukraine earlier in the week, slowing battlefield connectivity. EU officials also plan to privately urge Zelenskyy to tone down his public criticism of Trump.
- What is the energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine?
- Trump announced last week that the two countries had agreed to stop attacking each other's power infrastructure. Zelenskyy said Ukraine paused strikes on Russian energy targets for three days, but Russia has not confirmed the agreement.
