Zelenskyy says Putin must stop 'unnecessary demands'

With that, we'll wrap up Thursday's coverage of the European Union leaders' summit in Brussels as well as developments in the war in Ukraine. 

Thanks for reading. 

European Union leaders agreed at a summit in Brussels on Thursday to dramatically increase defense expenditure in order to boost the continent's military readiness by 2030.

The leaders lent their support to proposals laid out in a white paper ahead of the summit that proposed mobilizing up to €800 billion ($868 billion) over the next four years — including €150 billion in loans for rearmament projects and exemptions from EU debt rules for defense-related investments.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that leaders from European countries, including Germany, Italy and Poland, will meet in Paris next week to discuss their position on Ukraine and any potential ceasefire.

Senior British and Canadian officials will also be involved despite not being part of the EU.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that plans for a coalition of Western countries to safeguard a potential ceasefire in Ukraine were "coming together."

Speaking after a meeting of some 25-20 senior international military figures near London, Starmer said talks had focused on turning "political intentions" into "reality," and transforming "the concept into plans."

"If there's a deal, it has to be defended, because there [have] been deals in the past that haven't had security arrangements and Putin's taken no notice of them," he told the UK's Sky News.

"We hope there will be a deal but … if there is a deal, the time for planning is now," he said, adding: "Whether that's in relation to what might happen at sea or air or defending borders, those plans are coming together."

Starmer has been leading efforts to form a so-called "coalition of the willing" alongside French President Emmanuel Macron which would deploy to Ukraine to protect and enforce any ceasefire agreed with Russia.

Starmer and Macron have said they are willing to put British and French troops on the ground in Ukraine but Moscow has said that it would oppose soldiers from NATO countries being there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he could not legally negotiate ownership of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which US President Donald Trump has suggested Washington could take over control of.

"We will not discuss it. We have 15 nuclear power units in operation today. This all belongs to our state," Zelenskyy told reporters in Norway, adding he was open to talking about US investment once Ukraine got back the occupied plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

He said the nuclear plants legally belonged to the Ukrainian people but that Kyiv was open to US investment once Ukraine got back control of the Zaporizhzhia plant. "If they want to take it back from the Russians, if they want to modernize it, invest — this is a different question, this is an open question, we can talk about it," Zelenskyy added.

When they spoke by phone on Wednesday, Trump suggested to Zelenskyy that the US could help operate and possibly own Ukraine's nuclear power plants, according to a statement from the US presidential administration.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been occupied by Russia since the early days of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and is beset with problems. Its six reactors are in cold shutdown, the plant has lost its main supply of cooling water, and details on the condition of the equipment inside have not been made public.

Senior military officers from countries across Europe and beyond are meeting outside London on Thursday to flesh out plans for an international peacekeeping force for Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the "coalition of the willing" plan, led by Britain and France, is moving into an "operational phase." 

According to Starmer, the talks would focus on details of "military planning, military operations" to support Ukraine, a crucial step in making sure the West could move quickly if a peace deal were struck between Kyiv and Moscow.

"Today those plans are focusing on keeping the skies safe, the seas safe and the borders safe and secure in Ukraine," Starmer told reporters.

"Now we're working at pace because we don't know if there'll be a deal, I certainly hope there will be, but if there's a deal, it's really important that we're able to react straight away," he added.

Earlier, Starmer's spokesman said more than 25 countries were involved in the meeting, in person or remotely, and that they would discuss "the granular detail" of peace proposals, not only peacekeepers but how to possibly backfill those countries providing troops or military hardware and other logistics.

Russia and the United States will hold talks on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on Monday, President Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said.

"From the Russian side, they will be attended by Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Senate's committee on international affairs, and Sergei Beseda, adviser to the head of the FSB security service," Ushakov said in a statement.

Russian and US experts are due to discuss initiatives to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, which were raised by Putin and US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Tuesday.

Ushakov said he had confirmed this after talks with US national security adviser Mike Waltz. Both agreed to send "expert groups" for the talks, he added.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian and US officials would also meet in Saudi Arabia next Monday to make progress on a proposed halt in Russian and Ukrainian strikes on energy facilities.

"Our technical teams will be there," Zelenskyy said during a press conference in Norway, referring to meetings between Ukrainian and American representatives.

In a video address to EU leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked them to approve a package of at least €5 billion for artillery purchases.

Earlier on Thursday, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also urged EU leaders to pledge €5 billion for 2 million artillery shells for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy also said it was "simply anti-European when one person blocks decisions that are important for the entire continent," referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban's opposition to EU statements in support of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia must stop making "unnecessary demands" that he said were prolonging the war, AFP news agency reported, citing a transcript of his video address.

"Putin must stop making unnecessary demands that only prolong the war and must start fulfilling what he promises the world," Zelenskyy told EU leaders while adding that sanctions needed to remain in place.

"Sanctions must remain in place until Russia starts withdrawing from our land and fully compensates for the damage caused by its aggression," Zelenskyy was quoted as saying.

The Ukrainian leader also told EU leaders that Russia was continuing to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure despite telling US President Donald Trump such attacks would cease.

"Yesterday evening, another Russian strike hit our energy infrastructure. We in Ukraine face this every day and night, you know it. And despite Putin's words about allegedly being ready to stop the attacks — nothing has changed," Zelenskyy said.

All of the EU leaders, with the exception of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, backed a statement reaffirming their unwavering support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, according to Reuters news agency.

Two weeks ago, Hungary refused to put its name to a joint EU statement that referred to Ukraine achieving "peace through strength" by counting on continued European military and financial support. 

Earlier this week, Hungarian European Affairs Minister Janos Boka indicated that Budapest would do the same again with the joint statement being drafted for Thursday's summit.

Orban's symbolic move leaves Hungary more isolated than ever. Under his rule, Budapest has drifted further from the EU fold over the war in Ukraine, repeatedly blocking the passage of multibillion-euro aid packages and sanctions, but the rest of the bloc is increasingly inclined to proceed without Orban.

Hungary cannot block a major EU defense loan package. Nor can it prevent countries from spending more on their military budgets.

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas called on Member states to make €5 billion ($5.4 billion) available to supply Ukraine's army with ammunition.

"I've proposed an initiative to really go for the ones that President Zelenskyy needs: Ammunition in the amount of €5 billion so we should at least start to have really concrete steps, not only words but also deeds that we are helping Ukraine right now," Kallas said.

"Because the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are behind the negotiation table," Kallas emphasized.

Kallas had originally proposed a plan with aid commitments for Ukraine of up to €40 billion in fresh military support, but did not receive enough support from member states.

Kallas also welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement that the US would try to get more air defense systems for Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has accused European countries of seeking to militarize themselves rather than work toward peace.

His comments came as EU leaders gathered in Brussels to discuss ways to further support for Ukraine while boosting the bloc's military capabilities.

"For the most part, the signals from Brussels and European capitals concern plans to militarize Europe," Peskov told reporters.

"Europe has embarked on a militarization of itself and has turned into somewhat of a war party."

The increased focus on security among European countries is partly a response to fears that the US under President Donald Trump is no longer committed to the continent's defense.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Europe must continue to provide strong support to Ukraine to ensure any eventual ceasefire agreed between Kyiv and Moscow lasts.

He made the comments as he arrived at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

"We must continue our support with a clear position that a just peace must be possible for Ukraine," Scholz said.

"That means that Ukraine can defend its independence and sovereignty, that she decides her own path and chooses her own leaders, and naturally also that she has a strong army in peacetime."

Scholz said the debt package recently agreed by Germany's likely future coalition to allow increased defense spending is an important part of this plan.

"We will now be able to do what we must as a big state in the middle of Europe," he said.

Once the debt reform is cleared by Germany's upper house of parliament, some €3 billion ($3.27 billion) in military aid is expected to go to Ukraine.

This week's gathering in Brussels will likely be Scholzs last EU leaders' summit. German conservative leader Friedrich Merz is expected to have replaced him as chancellor by the time the bloc's next high-level meeting happens in June.

An airfield near a Russian strategic bomber base in the southern city of Engels was hit in a major Ukrainian drone attack overnight, according to officials.

Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region where Engels is located, said it was the largest drone attack on the area since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.

"All emergency services are working hard to clear the aftermath," the TASS news agency cited Busargin as saying.

The strikes damaged 30 homes and sparked a blaze at the airfield, he added.

Local officials said a state of emergency had been declared in the Engels district as a result and that nearby residents had been evacuated.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses had shot down more than 130 Ukrainian drones in six regions in the south of the country overnight.

It said 54 of those drones were intercepted in the Saratov region.

The Engels base located there is around 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the front lines in Ukraine and hosts Russia's Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear capable heavy strategic bombers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, for talks with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

"Norway stands with Ukraine," Store said in a statement, confirming Zelenskyy's arrival.

"I look forward to constructive discussions on how Norway can best provide assistance to Ukraine in both the short term and the long term."

Norway, a strong backer of Ukraine, pledged earlier this month to more than double its financial support for Kyiv this year to 85 billion crowns ($8.03 billion, or €7.3 billion).

During his trip to the Nordic nation, Zelenskyy's delegation is also expected to meet with former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who is now Norway's finance minister.

While European leaders are meeting in Brussels, military chiefs from countries keen to help protect an eventual ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine will meet in the United Kingdom.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is seeking to assemble a coalition of countries that would be willing to help protect any eventual ceasefire deal reached by Moscow and Kyiv.

The British government said around 30 countries had pledged to be involved in some way, while a "significant number" were also open to deploying troops — something the UK and France have also said they would be willing to do.

Thursday's gathering of military chiefs is expected to see planning for such a peacekeeping force move into an "operational phase," according to the British prime minister.

Starmer said over the weekend that the meeting would "put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine's future security."