EU Summit: Meloni Defends Sanctions, Zelensky Seeks €70 Billion for 2027

At the European Council summit, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni insisted that EU sanctions against Russia must not be weakened, calling them the bloc's best deterrent tool. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed EU leaders, requesting at least 70 billion euros in additional support for 2027. Zelensky warned that Ukraine's defeat would send 20 million refugees to Europe and stated that Russia's President Vladimir Putin does not seek genuine negotiations. Putin, visiting a command post, reaffirmed that capturing all of Ukraine's Donetsk region remains a key Russian objective and ordered continued strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial and logistics infrastructure. In a phone call, Pope Leo asked Putin for a truce to allow humanitarian aid into Oleshky, while Russia blamed Ukraine for the city's crisis. Separately, Moscow announced upcoming initiatives with Washington following a diesel agreement, and imposed external control on five more European companies.