The European Union: “The time is not right” to stop helping Ukraine

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The European Union announced, on Friday, that “the time is not right” to stop helping Ukraine and lift sanctions on Russia, in a position that constitutes support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while tensions are escalating between him and Washington.

"This is not the time to withdraw support for Ukraine. This is not the time to ease the sanctions imposed on Russia. This is the time to increase our support, increase our pressure," European Council President Antonio Costa told the media, alongside Zelensky, as they arrived at the EU leaders' summit in Brussels. "You can count on us," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "One thing is absolutely clear, which is that we will not lift any sanctions as long as Russia does not stop the war."

The Ukrainian president joined European Union leaders on Friday, the last day of the European Union summit held in Brussels.

Zelensky, who actually arrived in Brussels yesterday, Thursday, received an outpouring of support from European Union leaders in response to repeated criticism from Washington.

"You are not alone," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on the X website, shortly after Zelensky's plane landed in the Belgian capital.

US President Donald Trump had called for Zelensky to be replaced, announcing plans to purchase hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel from Russia. According to Kiev, the United States reduced the provision of intelligence information to Ukraine and restricted the operation of the Starlink satellite Internet service.

However, EU leaders are not expected to make wide-ranging commitments at the Brussels summit beyond words of encouragement.

The European Union had approved a loan program to support Kiev worth 90 billion euros ($100.8 billion) for the years 2026 and 2027, amid calls for Ukraine's international allies to increase their funding.

Trump described the Ukrainian president as a more difficult negotiating partner than Russian Vladimir Putin, portraying him as an obstacle to ending the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine relies heavily on US support, including air defense intelligence and Starlink satellite internet service. Zelensky has complained about gaps in intelligence sharing and internet restrictions, which he said have caused Ukrainian drone operations to fail.