Zelenskyy holds press conference after talks with EU leaders – watch live

Jakub Krupa

Zelenskyy is finally here to brief the media after his EU talks in Brussels.

I will bring you all the key lines here, but you can also watch along here:

We are still waiting for Zelenskyy to show up to his press conference, but in the meantime we have just heard from Hungary’s Péter Magyar after his first meeting with the Ukrainian president.

The pair have a long list of tricky topics to discuss given Hungary’s tense relations with Ukraine under the previous government of Viktor Orbán, including the issue of minority rights for Hungarians in Ukraine, which is critical to Kyiv’s ambitions of joining the EU.

But the noises coming from that meeting are positive.

In a statement after the talks, Magyar welcomed the Ukrainian parliament’s adoption of a new law on minority education as “a first step towards restoring mutual trust,” and the two sides will “continue consultations … at the ministerial level.”

“We agreed that it is in the interest of both countries to place their political and economic relations on a new foundation,” he said.

In sharp contrast to his predecessor, Magyar also declared his strong solidarity with Zelenskyy “in the face of inhumane Russian aggression against his country.”

“Hungary stands ready to provide assistance, through all available diplomatic means, towards achieving an immediate ceasefire and a lasting peace,” he said.

Jakub Krupa

Back to Brussels, we are expecting to hear from Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly, as he is about to deliver a press conference after his talks with EU leaders.

I will bring you all the key lines here when he steps up to the podium.

Separately, Italy is struggling with technical issues affecting the data transmission network for air traffic control, with lengthy delays at airports across the country affecting thousands of passengers.

Transport minister Matteo Salvini is “monitoring” the situation closely, his ministry said, with particular focus on ensuring the safety of operations, La Repubblica reported.

The air navigation operator ENAV ruled out any “malicious activity,” and said the disruption was due to technical issues with the system managed by telecom operator TIM, Corriere della Sera said.

Italy and Spain are reported to be close to dropping temporary border controls, introduced after the migration crisis in Ceuta in late August.

The move, reported in the Italian and Spanish press, was reportedly discussed on the sidelines of the ongoing EU summit in Brussels, with Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni meeting on Thursday night.

The current thinking includes Italy extending its measures for seven days to align their expiry date with the Spanish restriction, when both would get lifted simultaneously on 22 October, El País reported.

Italy first suspended Schengen arrangements with Spain in late July, much to criticism from Spain.

In their doorstep comments, EU leaders also called for Europe to do more on reducing Ukraine’s dependence on the US Starlink satellite communications system.

The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe did not have a readily available alternative to technology controlled by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, AFP reported.

“Starlink is really necessary for Ukraine and unfortunately in (the) short term Europe can’t replace this capability,” Kallas said before the talks.

“Starlink is the key for Ukraine actually to fight or fight back,” Latvian prime minister Andris Kulbergs told reporters.

Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten said he had discussed with French president Emmanuel Macron “how we, as Europeans, can provide more of these kinds of services in the not too distant future”.

Bloomberg reported that the European Union will look to fast-track antitrust approvals for a rival European project.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed financial support for Ukraine with the presidents of the European Commission and European Council on the margins of the EU summit in Brussels.

In a post on X, he said:

“I had a good meeting with the President of the European Council, António Costa @eucopresident, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen.

Right now, there are no signals from Russia that it is ready to end its war. The signals it is sending point to something entirely different and certainly do not bring peace any closer. After overnight Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, Russia carried out a horrific strike on Kharkiv this morning. Two people have already been reported killed. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Seventeen others were injured. Russia also struck a shopping mall in Rivne and energy facilities in four regions.

European leadership is needed to ensure that people’s lives are sufficiently protected from this Russian terror. We appreciate that everything we agree on is implemented promptly. Today, we discussed further assistance, first and foremost for our energy and air defense needs. We talked about support for our financial resilience, including for next year, and coordinated our work on the European integration track. It is important that new negotiating clusters were opened this week. We are working to open the remaining two by the end of the year. Thank you, António! Thank you, Ursula! Thank you, EU!”

Several leaders offered Zelenskyy very friendly welcome or, in some cases, simply a big hug as he walked into the room before the formal part of the meeting got under way.

Speaking to Newsmax last night, Donald Trump repeated his views of the two leaders involved in the conflict.

“I’m not a big fan of Zelenskyy,” Trump said. “I think they actually both would like to see it ⁠end, but I think I find Zelenskyy to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

But Denmark’s influential PM Mette Frederiksen has made it clear in her doorstep comments that she did not agree with that view.

“I disagree with what was said last night; fundamentally, I do not believe Putin can be trusted nor that we should be cooperating with Russia.”

“So, our perspectives on this differ significantly. It is crucial that everyone in the Nato alliance understands that when Europe is attacked, European security – and by extension, the security of the entire alliance – is under threat. Therefore, we must continue to defend ourselves, while also continuing to build up our military capabilities.”

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has also acknowledged the situation is very difficult given tensions with the US just as winter is “fast approaching.”

“We must continue to support Ukraine. Otherwise we are making things far too easy for the Russians,” she said.

She warned that Ukraine is running out of funds as “fighting a war is expensive,” adding that in many cases the country cannot produce the equipment it needs, particularly for air defence.

“As a result, you can see that the Russians are striking Ukrainian society much, much harder than they were not that long ago,” she said.

Frederiksen stressed that the EU must ensure there is sufficient funding in place for 2027.

She also pushed back against any suggestions on closer relations with Moscow, warning that Russia continues to “seek to seize parts of Europe” and “wages war against Europe every single day, directly in Ukraine and through a hybrid war against the rest of us.”

“If Russia wanted peace, they could simply stop the war,” she said.

She also dismissed media reports that some European leaders had asked Zelenskyy to tone down his criticism of Donald Trump. “I haven’t heard any European leaders say that,” she said.

EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warns on arrival that the situation in Ukraine is “really grave” with “no signs from Russia that they want to stop this war or into any sort of truce or peace.”

“We need to support Ukraine, also to get through the winter, because winter is going to be harsh,” she warns. “And that’s why we really need to help Ukrainians to survive, to defend their country.”

Kallas says she expects the issue of frozen Russian assets to be raised again today.

She says “we have agreed that we will not return the frozen assets, unless Russia pays reparations for Ukraine.”

She says the EU is “trying to convince also our American partners” that more pressure needs to be put on Moscow.

“But you can see that with our American allies, it’s very difficult at the moment.”

Irish PM Micheál Martin got asked about Ukraine on his arrival, too.

He said “the very severe pressure that Ukraine is under needs a European response,” with the opening of the accession clusters, and the deploying of the EU’s €90bn loan to Ukraine as soon as possible.

He also says there needs to be a “clearer landscape” on what the EU can offer Ukraine in medium term, “whether it’s immobilised assets or other mechanisms.”

“I am conscious on the last occasion, we strongly supported the issue of the seizure, the seized assets and whether they could be deployed. But that came to nought in the end.”

He says Europe needs to “maintain the pressure on Russia.”

But he also notes that he wants to see “a continuing outreach from Europe to the United States,” making representations that “as far as Europe is concerned, Russia has been the aggressor from the beginning.”

“What is happening now is, really, without any sort of regard for innocent civilian life, Russia is simply bombing civilian infrastructure, and endeavouring to kill as many people as possible in Ukraine and to put as much pressure as possible on the civilian population in Ukraine to try and force a Ukrainian climbdown. The stakes are high and the situation is of considerable concern.”

Latvian PM Andris Kulbergs drops an early quote of the day contender, as he explains the stakes on Ukraine in direct and practical terms:

“It is a super important moment because, well, if we want comfort in Europe and [be able to] eat croissant, drink coffee in the morning, and don’t think about the threats, then we have to support Ukraine.”

He says Russia “was pulled out from under the water” by Trump’s war in Iran and the crisis in the strait of Hormuz, which increased its oil revenues, “and that is not helping.”

“Ukraine needs financial support and military support in order to have to go through this harsh winter … ahead of us.”

In what definitely feels like a swipe at some other leaders (*waves across the ocean*), Zelenskyy begins his remarks by saying he is happy to have “huge support” from “leaders, real leaders.”

He says Ukraine wants the war to end as soon as possible, but sees “no signals from the Russian side that they are ready to end this war.”

“That’s why we have to prepare for the winter,” both on energy and defence, he says.

Commission president von der Leyen also delivers a pretty unequivocal message, as she blames Russia for violating Donald Trump’s energy ceasefire and says Moscow “escalated” its attacks instead.

She makes it clear that the EU will not offer Russia any concessions, despite pressure from the US.

“One thing is absolutely clear: we will not lift any sanctions unless Russia stops the war.”

She says the talks today will also focus on defining Ukraine’s path to the European Union by opening two further “negotiating clusters” as they are known before the end of the year.

The leaders will also discuss how to support Ukraine during the winter.

Arriving with Zelenskyy and von der Leyen, Costa is very clear in his message on Ukraine as he declares the EU’s support to Ukraine “remains as strong as ever.”

In what feels like a targeted message to Ukraine, Russia, but also the US, he says:

“This is no time to withdraw the support to Ukraine. This is no time to relieve Russia’s sanctions.”

He adds “this is essential to bring Russia to accept a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the table of negotiations and to stop this war.”

Costa also signals his intention to move on the accession prospects for Ukraine, saying:

“You can count on us not only to support you in war, but most important for your future as a member of the European Union.”

Morning opening: EU leaders meet to discuss Ukraine

Jakub Krupa

EU leaders and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy are meeting today in Brussels to discuss the latest in Russia’s war against Ukraine amid worsening relations between Kyiv and Washington.

Zelenskyy is expected to arrive any moment now, alongside European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa.

Overnight Ukraine was once again affected by Russian attacks, which killed at least three in the eastern city of Kharkiv. 370,000 people were left without power in the Volyn region bordering Poland.

Today’s talks come at a critical moment as Ukraine increasingly struggles with repelling Russian air attacks as a result of acute shortages of interceptor missiles, with Zelenskyy also involved in a very public series of disagreements with Donald Trump at White House.

The EU leaders will discuss what the bloc can do to support Ukraine during the upcoming winter and beyond and whether any substantial progress can be made on the key issue of its plans to join the European Union.

Separately, the leaders will also talk about migration and foreign policy more broadly.

I will bring you all the key updates here.

It’s Friday, 16 October 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.