BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
\nDonald Trump loomed large over EU leaders Thursday at their last summit before he reclaims power in the United States, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying only transatlantic unity can \u201csave\u201d Ukraine. The upheaval in Syria after the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, and how to deal with the new leadership, was also high-up on the agenda of the gathering.
\nBut officials expect the talks to focus largely on how to strengthen Kyiv\u2019s hand, and the European Union\u2019s own position, for the volatile Republican\u2019s second term. Before attending the summit, Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky held a conclave Wednesday in Brussels with NATO chief Mark Rutte and key European leaders. Trump moves into the White House next month having pledged to bring a swift end to a conflict that NATO says has left over one million dead and wounded since Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s 2022 invasion.
\nEU leaders \u2014 keen not to be left on the sidelines \u2014 are scrambling to come up with their own plans as fears swirl that Trump could pull US support for Kyiv and force it to make painful concessions to Moscow. \u201cEspecially from the very beginning of next year, we need very much unity between the United States, and the EU,\u201d Zelensky said at the start of the summit.
\n\u201cWe need this unity to achieve peace, and I think only together the United States and Europe can really stop Putin and save Ukraine.\u201d Discussions have begun between some capitals over the potential deployment of European troops in Ukraine to secure any eventual ceasefire. Zelensky said he had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron an initiative from Paris on \u201cthe presence of forces in Ukraine that could contribute to stabilising the path to peace\u201d.
\nBut European officials say the talks Thursday will concentrate on what can be done now to bolster Kyiv \u2014 rather than second-guessing Trump\u2019s actions. Western backers are seeking to shore up Ukraine\u2019s forces as Kyiv\u2019s fatigued troops are losing ground across the frontline and North Korean soldiers have reinforced Moscow on the battlefield.
\nZelensky said he wanted to talk about \u201csecurity guarantees for Ukraine, for today and for tomorrow\u201d as he `called for more air defences and weaponry. It is not just Ukraine that is bracing for Trump, with the EU itself fretting about his impact and threats of trade tariffs. Leaders were set to debate the 27-nation bloc\u2019s \u201cplace in the world\u201d and how to stay united in the face of the new US president.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM Donald Trump loomed large over EU leaders Thursday at their last summit before he reclaims power in the United States, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying only transatlantic unity can \u201csave\u201d Ukraine. The upheaval in Syria after the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, and how to deal with the new leadership, was also high-up on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":346970,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-450525","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n