European leaders will once again try to grasp control of negotiations over the war in Ukraine on Thursday, in an increasingly frantic tug-of-war against the US and Russia that could be nearing a climax.

EU leaders gather with Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday in Brussels in search of unity on bolstering Ukraine and Europe's defences after Donald Trump upended traditional US alliances and retracted wartime

Thursday's special summit was convened in reaction to Donald Trump's unilateral decision to launch negotiations with Vladimir Putin. View on euronews

"Even while Russia talks about peace, they are continuing their relentless aggression," Starmer said at the meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Kyiv was committed to intensive diplomacy to bring a rapid end to the three-year-old war with Russia and stressed that he hoped to be able to rely on U.