Zelenskyy courts Europe as Trump delivers blunt verdict on Ukraine leader

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is now looking to European countries for their support in war against Russia as Ukraine ties with the Trump administration slump.

In a recent interview, President Donald Trump stated that Volodymyr Zelensky is "more difficult to deal with than Putin" and "not a good guy for us to deal with".

Trump argued that Zelensky claims he wants to settle the conflict but actually does not. He noted that deep mutual hatred between Putin and Zelensky makes a peaceful settlement extremely difficult.

However, Zelenskyy did not comment on Trump's remarks but as he is in the Brussels for the EU summit, the EU leaders including Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa reaffirmed strong backing for Ukraine.

Von der Leyen noted that Russia failed to respect the energy truce "for a single minute" and insisted EU sanctions would not be lifted until Russia stops the war.

Estonian PM Kristen Michal also expressed support for Ukraine by stating that the EU will probably have to provide a new loan to Ukraine aimed at helping the country to cover a budget gap for next year and to keep up Kyiv’s fight against Russian aggression.

Michal said before the ​start of the second day of an EU summit in Brussels, "European financial assistance has to be there. Financial assistance ​in the war of attrition is the alpha and omega. ⁠You have to keep it up... That has to come from the ​European Union."

Despite a €90 billion ($101 billion) EU loan package secured last December for 2026–2027, Ukraine reports a looming $70 billion deficit in its defense and state budget for next year.

The summit’s agenda focuses on securing a comprehensive winter support package for Ukraine covering energy infrastructure, defense, and funding as the country heads into its fifth winter under invasion.