EU summit: Zelensky brings begging bowl to Brussels under Trump cloud

LIVE UPDATES The Ukrainian leader is turning to Brussels having alienated himself from the US president for the foreseeable future Published 16 Oct, 2026 11:08 | Updated 16 Oct, 2026 14:01Vladimir Zelensky has put the pressure on his European backers by joining the second day of an EU summit in Brussels, in the week he chose to lash out at US President Donald Trump, and as European leaders grapple with soaring energy bills and the prospect of a difficult winter.The gathered EU leaders will unlikely welcome having been effectively cornered into backing Zelensky’s “forever war” policy. They're now faced with trying to secure US support in the same week that protests and national strikes over pay and public services intensified across the continent.The falling-out began last week when Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release additional Russian diesel onto global markets and ease sanctions in an attempt to bring down fuel prices. He also pressed Kiev to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure.Zelensky rejected the arrangement, saying he felt “betrayed” by Trump and called the US president’s decision “weak.”Trump then called for Ukraine to get a “new ...