EU leaders to show support for Zelenskiy at Brussels summit

European leaders aim to put on a show of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Brussels on Thursday after a rollercoaster few days that saw Donald Trump announce and then back away from plans to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin.



At a summit meeting, leaders of the European Union are expected to meet Zelenskiy, reiterate backing for Ukraine's territorial integrity and agree to develop a proposal to use frozen Russian assets for a big loan to Kyiv.



Zelenskiy will also receive a boost in the form of a new package of EU sanctions against Russia.



U.S. President Trump announced last week that he and his Russian counterpart would meet soon in Budapest, sparking concern among Kyiv's European allies, but the planned summit was later put on hold. On Wednesday, the U.S. hit Russia's major oil companies with sanctions.



Following a tense meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy at the White House last Friday, European leaders have been eager to show that Ukraine can still count on their support.



One sign of long-term support is a proposal by the European Commission to use Russian assets frozen in Europe to provide a 140 billion euro ($163 billion) "reparation loan" to Ukraine.