Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for unity between Europe and the United States to achieve peace and "save Ukraine".
"We need this unity to achieve peace. I think only together the United States and Europe can really stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and save Ukraine," he said on his arrival at the 27-nation summit in Brussels.
Strong support for Ukraine, whose army has been retreating for weeks before Russian forces, is "very difficult" without the United States, he stressed, as quoted by AFP.
"This is what we will discuss with Donald Trump when he is in the White House," Zelensky added.
Zelensky arrived in Brussels on December 18, where he took part in a meeting with the NATO secretary general and several European leaders on how to help Ukraine, a month before the US billionaire takes office in Washington.
In particular, Kiev is calling for robust security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire, one of which could be sending troops into Ukraine.
"We have continued to work on the initiative of (French) President Emmanuel Macron on the presence of troops in Ukraine, which could help stabilize the path to peace," Zelensky wrote in X, after a face-to-face meeting with the French head of state.
He is due to meet other European leaders this morning. | BGNES
