EU summit: Leaders to rally behind Zelenskyy amid bitter row with Trump

By Jorge Liboreiro & Sasha Vakulina & Luca Bertuzzi & Angela Skujins & Marta Pacheco & Peggy Corlin & Mared Gwyn Jones & Sandor Zsiros & Vincenzo Genovese Published on 16/10/2026 - 7:20 GMT+2 European Union leaders are set to rally behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he joins the second day of a summit in Brussels amid a bitter spat with US President Donald Trump, whose diesel deal with Russia has jolted the alliance. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Trump has demanded Ukraine cease attacks on Russian oil refineries, which he has blamed for elevated fuel prices. Zelenskyy has hit back, saying it is actually Trump's war on Iran that is responsible for the disruption. The campaign against Russia's oil industry will continue unabated, Zelenskyy said, brushing off fears that Washington might cut off intelligence in retaliation. EU leaders, many of whom see the long-range strikes as Kyiv's main leverage over Moscow, are expected to close ranks behind the Ukrainian leader to portray a common front as the transatlantic alliance goes through yet another crisis of unity. Follow updates on our live blog. 7:25 GMT+2 Ukraine takes centre stage on Friday The second day of the EU summit will have one key purpose: to show the world that Europe continues to be fully behind Ukraine's fight against Russia's full-scale invasion.Of course, this isn't the first time that this has happened. In fact, it's a message that every EU summit has sent since February 2022. What changes now is the context: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he feels betrayed by the diesel supply deal that US President Donald Trump struck last Friday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in open defiance of Western sanctions.Since then, relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have rapidly deteriorated. Trump has called for new elections in Ukraine, which are forbidden in wartime, while Zelenskyy insists the strikes on Russia's oil refineries, which Trump has asked him to stop, will resume. 7:18 GMT+2 What happened yesterday? The first day of the EU summit was dominated by the fight over the next long-term budget. At the end of an inconclusive day of talks, António Costa, the president of the European Council, took charge of the negotiations. He has committed to present a new compromise with revised figures ahead of a special summit next month. Inconclusive sparring at EU summit puts budget timeline into question EU leaders stuck to their red lines on the next long-term budget at Thursday’s summit, with several now rejecting the presumed December deadline. Council Presi…