US, December 19, 2024 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau):European Union leaders aim to send a “clear signal” to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at a summit on Thursday about their continued support for Ukraine and will also discuss the security and economic challenges posed by his return to the White House.
The leaders will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the start of their talks in Brussels and will reaffirm their “unwavering commitment” to supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes”, according to draft conclusions.
Trump has repeatedly called for a swift end to the nearly three-year-old war. On Monday he said Zelenskiy should be ready to reach a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, though he did not say whether this meant Kyiv ceding territory to Moscow as part of a negotiated settlement.
Russian forces currently occupy nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory and are making steady advances in the east of the country.
“Russia must not prevail,” the EU draft conclusions say, adding that no initiative must be taken on Ukraine without Kyiv’s involvement.
One EU diplomat described the draft text as sending “a clear signal to the U.S.”.
The leaders will also discuss wider EU-U.S. relations over lunch amid concerns of a possible transatlantic trade war.
Summary: EU leaders plan to send a strong message to Trump regarding Ukraine and engage in discussions about future U.S.-EU relations.