European Union leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday are set to approve a fresh package of sanctions against Russia and advance plans to tap frozen Russian assets in Europe to support Ukraine’s defense and economy over the next two years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join the one-day summit as he and his European allies push for a ceasefire to end nearly four years of war.
“Support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia remain the two essential conditions for achieving a just and lasting peace,” EU Council President António Costa said in his invitation letter to leaders.
The meeting follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to delay a proposed meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying he didn’t want it to be a “waste of time.” The move added uncertainty to Trump’s evolving plan to end the conflict.
EU leaders will also discuss how to stay engaged with Trump’s Gaza peace initiative, despite limited influence over Israel due to divisions among member states.
Meanwhile, Russia has intensified airstrikes on Ukraine’s power grid as winter approaches. Earlier this week, a group of Ukraine’s staunchest European supporters – the so-called “coalition of the willing” – rejected suggestions that Kyiv cede territory to secure peace, an idea Trump has recently floated.
The U.K. will host a meeting of the coalition’s 30-plus members on Friday.
At the summit, EU leaders are expected to finalize plans to use billions in frozen Russian assets including about $225 billion held in Belgium to fund Ukraine, though some governments remain cautious about potential legal and financial risks. Ukraine’s combined military and budget needs for 2026–27 are estimated at roughly $153 billion.
Leaders are also poised to endorse a new “defense roadmap” aimed at preparing Europe to deter or respond to possible Russian aggression by the end of the decade, amid warnings that Moscow could threaten another European state within the next five years.
