EU Leaders Back Ukraine as Trump Strikes Russia Diesel Deal
European leaders pledged continued support and sanctions against Russia after Donald Trump restricted Starlink access for Ukraine and struck a diesel deal with Vladimir Putin.
European Union leaders gathered in Brussels on October 16, 2026, to provide critical funding, air defense, and energy support to Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the upcoming winter. The summit took place amid a severe diplomatic rift between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently struck a controversial diesel supply deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that bypassed Western sanctions. Following this agreement, the White House ordered restrictions on Starlink satellite connectivity for the Ukrainian military.
Trump criticized Zelenskyy's strikes on Russian oil refineries as a "disgrace" and suggested that Ukraine needs new elections. In response, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa explicitly rebuked the U.S. administration's sanctions relief, stating the EU will not lift sanctions until Russia ends the war. High Representative Kaja Kallas described the current state of EU-US cooperation on Ukraine as "very difficult."
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kolbergs argued that Europeans are now the only allies remaining for Ukraine as the U.S. enters its midterm election cycle. Kolbergs and other member states, including Denmark, urged the EU to seize frozen Russian assets to finance Kyiv's defense. Kolbergs further proposed a ban on Russian visas and Russian grain exports, which he termed "blood grain," to restore Ukraine's economic viability via the Black Sea corridor.
