Sawt Falasteen - Europe rallies behind Zelensky as US announces new talks with Kyiv

Ukraine' President Volodymyr Zelensky went to Brussels a week after his White House blow-up with President Donald Trump led to Washington cutting off military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

Zelensky has since scrambled to mend fences and the US envoy on the Russia-Ukraine conflict announced new negotiations were planned.

Declaring himself pleased by Zelensky's "apology", US envoy Steve Witkoff said he planned to travel to Saudi Arabia to speak to Ukrainian negotiators about an "initial ceasefire" with Russia and a "framework" for a longer agreement.

In Kyiv, a senior official said Ukrainian and US delegations were expected to meet Tuesday in Riyadh. Witkoff said the meeting would take place in Riyadh or Jeddah.

Zelensky told EU leaders that Ukrainian and American negotiators had "resumed work".

"We hope that next week we will have a meaningful meeting," he said.

He thanked EU leaders for standing by Kyiv, with America's outreach to Russia raising fears Ukraine could be forced into an unfavorable deal.

"We are very thankful that we are not alone," said the Ukrainian leader.

- Defense boost -

Trump's pivot away from Kyiv and its European allies has cast doubt the US commitment to NATO's European members -- piling pressure on European governments.

The EU's 27 leaders on Thursday greenlit a plan drawn up by the European Commission that aims to mobilise 800 billion euros ($860 billion) to "re-arm Europe" against the perceived threat from Russia.

"Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told reporters, calling it "a watershed moment" for Ukraine and for the continent.

The defence plans allow states to spend much more -- at a time when Germany's chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz is embracing radical reforms to fund the country's rearmament.

France's President Emmanuel Macron likewise called Wednesday for a defence spending surge and said he would discuss extending France's nuclear deterrent to European partners -- an idea swiftly welcomed by several EU members.

"Who can believe that this Russia of today will stop at Ukraine?" Macron asked in a nationwide address. "I want to believe that the United States will stay by our side, but we have to be prepared for that not to be the case."

- 'Coalition of the willing' -

In his bid to salvage cooperation with Washington, Zelensky declared himself ready to work towards a peace deal under Trump's "strong leadership" and to finalise an accord on US access to Ukrainian mineral resources.

But Germany's outgoing leader Olaf Scholz reiterated European warnings against any "dictated peace" in Ukraine. A future settlement must guarantee Kyiv's "sovereignty and independence", he said.

Trump's outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the three-year war -- sidelining both Kyiv and its European partners -- has thrown Europe into crisis mode.

It has also helped draw Britain closer to the EU, five years after leaving the bloc.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is working with Macron to rebuild bridges between Trump and Zelensky and together they have pitched a one-month truce "in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure".

They have called for a "coalition of the willing" to help secure a ceasefire, with a British official saying Thursday talks with around 20 countries are under way.

European leaders are discussing more broadly what "security guarantees" the bloc might provide for a peace deal. That could include deploying European troops, something several states support.

Russia reiterated however that it would not accept European forces in Ukraine, nor a merely-temporary ceasefire -- saying a "final settlement" was needed.

Norway, a non-EU member, announced however that it will more than double its aid to Ukraine for 2025 to bring the total to $7.8 billion.

Several EU states argue that Europe currently has enough money committed to meet Kyiv's needs -- despite the US freeze on aid.

burs-ec/ub/tw

F.AbuShamala--SF-PST