Ukraine's president has told Europe what he expects from the US before he reaches the summit table. He expects less than before.
In an interview with the Financial Times in London, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will resume strikes on Russia's oil refineries despite US opposition. "The block is out. We're done," he said. Washington has pressed Kyiv to stop hitting the refineries, arguing that a pause, together with its deal to buy Russian diesel, is needed to bring American fuel prices down. Zelenskyy said he paused energy strikes for three days to comply, while Moscow kept hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure and killing civilians.
Zelenskyy called the withdrawal of US intelligence "dangerous". He said his forces have been left without US early-warning alerts for incoming ballistic missiles during an intense wave of Russian attacks. He also said Elon Musk's Starlink service has been slowed across Ukraine, which hampers frontline operations and some strikes on Russian military sites. EU Insider has not been able to verify those claims independently. Earlier this week European officials told the FT that US officials had threatened to cut intelligence sharing unless Kyiv stopped hitting refineries.
The FT also reports, citing officials, that the US has asked European countries to unfreeze some of the Russian sovereign assets immobilised after the 2022 invasion and move them into a vehicle overseen by Washington. The aim is to encourage Moscow to engage in peace talks. The idea is likely to be contentious. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has already blocked Chancellor Friedrich Merz's plan to use frozen assets for Ukraine, according to Euractiv. Most of the assets sit in Belgium.
Zelenskyy is due to take part in the summit on Friday. Diplomats told Euractiv that talks will focus mainly on preparing Ukraine for winter, with more work on its financing needs for 2027. That leaves open how that bill is shared. French presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen said in Brussels on Wednesday that France could no longer afford to support Ukraine financially, although she said it would keep training Ukrainian soldiers and supplying equipment.
Europe is being asked to replace US intelligence and funding at the same moment a US plan for its assets reaches its capitals. Ukraine's decision on refineries also tests whether Europeans will back a strategy Washington opposes. Expect winter support to be agreed quickly and the money for 2027 to be left for later. Watch whether leaders say anything on the asset proposal, and whether Brussels offers Kyiv a substitute for the intelligence it says it lost.
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