The European Union should not stop helping Ukraine or lift its sanctions against Russia at this stage, two senior EU officials said in Brussels today, speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“You can count on us,” European Council President António Costa assured Ukraine shortly before the start of the second day of the European summit, during which the war in Ukraine will be discussed in Zelensky’s presence.

“One thing is absolutely clear: we will not lift any of the sanctions unless Russia stops the war,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said as she welcomed Zelensky.

Arriving for the summit, the Ukrainian president said: “We want this war to end as soon as possible. We see no signs from the Russian side that it is ready for this, that it is ready to end the war. That is why we must prepare for winter.”

“The winter package is not just about energy; it is about air defence and funding,” he explained, adding that he would discuss Ukraine’s needs for the remainder of this year and for 2027 with European leaders.

Earlier in October, Zelensky told Reuters that Kyiv had reached an agreement with its European partners that would enable it to cover a $27 billion shortfall in its defence budget this year and order the drones it needs to continue fighting in early 2027.

However, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko recently noted that the country still faced a $32.6 billion budget deficit for 2027.

“I am not satisfied with the number of countries that were willing to commit to providing new financial assistance to Ukraine. But we will see many countries committing to provide more military assistance soon,” Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said.

“Today’s discussion with Zelensky will focus on how we deal with the complex diplomatic situation that has emerged and how Ukraine will survive the winter,” he added.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised Zelensky in recent days. In an interview yesterday, Trump condemned Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, describing them as a “disgrace”.

Meanwhile, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Reuters that the EU would probably offer Ukraine a new loan to help it cover the shortfall in its 2027 budget. “This is a mechanism Europe has used many times,” he said.

His Irish counterpart, Micheál Martin, said he expected Europe to continue to “engage” with the United States over Ukraine.

“I would expect continued engagement by Europe with the United States (on Ukraine), because, from Europe’s perspective, Russia has been the aggressor from the outset. Russia invaded Ukraine,” Martin said.