European Council president invites Zelenskyy to EU leaders' summit in Brussels, but he unlikely to attend in person
António Costa, President of the European Council, has sent an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to participate in discussions on Ukrainian issues at the European Council meeting on 18 December. However, the Ukrainian president will most likely join the discussion via video link.
Source: a senior EU official familiar with the organisation of the EU leaders' summit told European Pravda on condition of anonymity
Details: Zelenskyy was invited to the European Council on 18 January, but his visit is unlikely to take place.
"President Costa sent President Zelenskyy an invitation to come to Brussels and take part in the European Council meeting this week. At present, we expect that he will join the discussion via video link, but this still needs to be confirmed," the European Pravda source said.
He said that Zelenskyy is unlikely to attend in person "due to logistical issues".
"Our teams are in contact," the EU official added.
According to European Pravda, the Ukrainian side is not inclined to visit Brussels, partly due to low expectations for the summit.
Background:
- As European Pravda previously reported, at the European Council meeting on 18-19 December, EU leaders are expected to make decisions regarding Ukraine's funding for 2026-2027, including the use of frozen Russian assets in Europe (mostly under Belgian jurisdiction) for this purpose. However, negotiations on the frozen assets have been delayed due to Belgium's demand for guarantees from EU states in case the funds need to be returned.
- On 16 December, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine expects to fully utilise €210 billion of frozen Russian assets in the EU over the coming years to cover urgent financial needs.
- Meanwhile, members of the European Parliament are preparing to vote on a proposal to provide Ukraine with a "reparations loan" at the plenary session in January 2026.
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