EU leaders insist no decisions can be taken about Ukraine without Ukraine, or behind their backs
European Union leaders insist no decisions can be taken about the future of Ukraine without its consent or behind their backs
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders insisted on Thursday that no decisions can be taken about the future of war-ravaged Ukraine without its consent — or behind the backs of its partners in Europe, barely a month before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Ukraine’s position is precarious, more than 1,000 days into the war. Russia continues to make gains on the battlefield, pushing the front line gradually westward despite suffering heavy casualties. Ukraine’s energy network is in tatters and military recruits are hard to find.
In a show of solidarity at a summit in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, many EU leaders repeated a variation of what has become a common mantra — nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nothing about security in Europe without Europeans.
“Only Ukraine as the aggressed country can legitimately define what peace means —and if and when the conditions are met for credible negotiations," summit host António Costa said at the end of the daylong meeting of the 27-nation bloc.
«So now is not the time to speculate about different scenarios. Now is the time to strengthen Ukraine for all scenarios,” said Costa, the president of the European Council.
On Jan. 20, Trump returns to the White House, having promised to end the war in Ukraine quickly and talked up his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many Europeans are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine.
The other big worry is that Putin will use any interregnum to rearm and cause more strife.
Rumors are swirling in Europe about possible peace talks in early 2025, and
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