Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged Donald Trump to ally with Europe to stop Russia and save his country, amid fears that the NATO-skeptic US president-elect could cause trouble in Kiev. cutting American support to his war effort.

“We need a lot the unity between the United States and the EU and the countries of Europe,” Zelensky said before addressing European Union leaders at the start of a summit dominated by the war in Ukraine, which Trump has pledged to end.

“We need this unity to achieve peace. I think that only together the United States and Europe can really stop Putin and save Ukraine.” Zelensky continued.

EU diplomats have said European leaders aim to send a clear message to Trump of their continued support for Ukraine, and will stress that any peace settlement must include Ukraine and respect its territorial integrity.

Antonio Costa, chairing his first EU summit as the new president of the European Council, said the EU would work for a just and lasting peace.

“This war is not only about Ukraine, it is not only about Europe, (it is) about international law. International law must prevail and the invasion must be defeated,” he told reporters standing next to Zelensky.

EU leaders are to reaffirm their “unwavering commitment” to support Ukraine “for as long as necessary”, according to the summit’s draft conclusions.

Trump has repeatedly called for a swift end to the nearly three-year-old war. On Monday he said Zelensky “should be ready to reach a peace deal” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, although he did not specify whether that meant Kiev would cede territory to Moscow as part of a negotiated settlement.

The Russian forces have taken over at this stage almost one fifth of Ukrainian territory and are advancing steadily in the east of the country.

The EU’s draft conclusions on the summit state that “Russia must not prevail”, adding that no initiative should be taken on Ukraine without Kiev’s participation.

Zelensky’s attendance at the EU summit follows talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and other European leaders on Wednesday, aimed at immediate help to bolster Kiev’s war effort and discussing long-term security guarantees.

While European leaders insist they are focusing on Ukraine’s immediate needs, some officials have begun discussing how to ensure the country’s security after the war ends.

EU leaders will also discuss wider Euro-US relations during the lunch amid concerns about a possible transatlantic trade war.

Trump has warned that the EU will “pay a big price” with tariffs for not buying enough of US exports. He has already promised high tariffs on three of the United States’ biggest trading partners – Canada, Mexico and China. The EU knows that it “will not be spared”.

Unity

Some EU diplomats said the key to the bloc would be unity to prevent Washington from holding talks or deals with individual EU members – replicating its largely successful strategy of dealing with Britain during Brexit negotiations .

“The US may attempt individual negotiations, but so far I haven’t seen any countries accept it,” commented an EU diplomat.

The EU will seek to highlight that it is the second largest trading partner of the United States and a close ally with shared values. However, aware that Trump is preoccupied by the US trade deficit, EU officials have discussed possibly offering to buy more LNG (liquefied natural gas) or arms from the US.

The lunchtime ‘EU in the world’ debate is also likely to include China and whether the bloc will be forced to take sides in a US-China trade conflict as well as Britain, which has said it wants to restore level its ties with the European Union and is seen by the bloc as a crucial security ally.