Zelenskyy seeks EU support as US aid falters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting EU leaders in Brussels on Friday to secure military and financial support, as tensions with the US over continued aid escalate. Zelenskyy seeks European alternatives to US missile defence and Starlink satellite systems, and will hold his first formal bilateral meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar. Leaders will discuss Ukraine's estimated $78 billion financing gap for 2027, with EU diplomats suggesting the bloc could contribute "tens of billions." The EU is reviving plans to use €210 billion in immobilised Russian state assets as a loan, though Germany rejected a US proposal to control the funds. Belgium remains a holdout over legal risks, while EU leaders also failed to agree on the bloc's next seven-year budget.