NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders on 18 December. Kiev's supporters are seeking to strengthen their position before Donald Trump takes power in the United States.
"The secretary-general will meet President Zelensky on Wednesday (18 December). A number of European leaders are in Brussels for a European Council meeting and some may join to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine, particularly air defence," a NATO official said.
European officials said the leaders expected to attend are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, AFP reported.
The meeting comes as Ukraine's European allies have begun discussing the possibility of deploying foreign troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
US President-elect Trump has promised to work for a quick agreement to end the fighting when he takes office in January.
This sparked fears in Kiev and Europe that Ukraine could be forced to make major concessions to Moscow after nearly three years of fighting the Kremlin invasion.
For now, officials insist that discussions on any settlement remain premature. Rutte urged them not to publicly discuss possible peace terms, as that risks playing in Russia's favor.
Moscow insists it is sticking to its goals in Ukraine and is now advancing on the front line against exhausted Ukrainian forces.
"There has to be peace to send peacekeepers, and Russia doesn't want peace. That is very clear," said EU foreign policy chief Kaya Kalas.
Zelensky is then due to attend a summit with the bloc's 27 leaders on December 19. | BGNES
