Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to attend next week’s special EU summit on support for Ukraine and European defence in Brussels.

“There is a new momentum, which should lead to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace,” European Council President António Costa wrote in an invitation letter published on Thursday.

“It is therefore important for us to exchange on how to further support Ukraine and on the principles that should be respected going forward,” he stated.

The EU was “ready to take more responsibility for Europe’s security” and needed to prepare “for a possible European contribution to the security guarantees that will be necessary to ensure a lasting peace in Ukraine,” Mr Costa explained.

He pointed out that EU leaders should take “first decisions for the short term, in order for Europe to become more sovereign, more capable, and better equipped to deal with immediate and future challenges to its security.”

The meeting to be held on March 6 was convened to discuss how to respond to the drastic change of course in U.S. policy regarding the war in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was the first and so far only EU leader to be received at the White House, briefed fellow leaders earlier on Wednesday on his recent talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.

(dpa/NAN)