European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union that brings together the heads of state or government of the member states. It sets the EU's political agenda and strategic direction without being directly involved in legislation. It meets at least four times a year in Brussels and is chaired by its president, who holds a two-and-a-half-year term.
-
Zelensky visits Brussels as EU leaders debate Ukraine funding and frozen Russian assets
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Brussels for the second day of an EU summit on October 16, where European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen publicly reaffirmed support for Ukraine and pledged to keep sanctions on Russia in place until Moscow ends the war. Zelensky framed the meeting around Ukraine's energy needs and a "winter package" of energy, air defence and financing for 2026 and 2027. EU leaders remained divided over using frozen Russian central-bank assets to fund Ukraine, and the summit took place against a fresh strain in Ukraine–US relations following criticism from US President Donald Trump and a US–Russia diesel deal.