The 27 leaders of the European Union are on Thursday meeting in Brussels for a one-day summit with a remarkably busy agenda that will touch upon Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Syria's transition of power, continued protests in Georgia, new ways to reinvent migration policy and the survival guide for the upcoming Donald Trump administration, APA reports citing Euronews.
It marks the first summit chaired by António Costa since he assumed the presidency of the European Council on 1 December as part of the bloc's new legislative cycle. French President Emmanuel Macron will not attend due to the catastrophic situation in Mayotte after Cyclone Chido and will be represented by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Despite the packed list of topics, the high-level gathering is not expected to deliver a breakthrough on any of them. Instead, talks will aim at consolidating the work done at a lower level and focusing minds in a period of extreme uncertainty for Europe.
The long day will begin with Ukraine, the top priority for leaders, and an in-person intervention from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will make the case for more military support and stronger sanctions against Russia.
Zelenskyy estimates his country needs over a dozen air defence systems, which are crucial for protecting Ukrainian cities and power plants against Russia's relentless bombarding. The Ukrainian leader broached the topic on Wednesday evening during a meeting hosted by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and attended by a select group of EU leaders, including Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Poland's Andrzej Duda.
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