EU debates Ukraine funding, as Zelenskyy's relations with the Trump administration ebb again

European Union leaders rallied around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a summit on Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump fired another salvo at Ukraine, calling its strikes on ‌Russian refineries a "disgrace."

The EU is ‌hosting Zelenskyy in Brussels at one of the most difficult moments for Ukraine, with missiles and drones raining down on Ukrainian cities as it faces a fifth full winter of attack since Russia's invasion, amid fears that the U.S. could pull back intelligence sharing and weapons support from Kyiv.

In the latest attacks early Friday, Russian drones killed at least three people across Ukraine, hit two ‌shopping centres and knocked out power to around 370,000 people in the northwest after strikes on the energy grid, officials said.

Two people died and ​12 more were wounded in attacks ​on three districts of the eastern city of Kharkiv, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. In the ⁠northwestern region of ⁠Volyn, which borders Poland, ‌a drone strike on a food-processing facility killed one person and wounded eight others, according to Gov. Roman Romaniuk.

Seven people were wounded by drones that hit a major shopping centre and other sites in Rivne, regional Gov. Oleksandr Koval said.

A deminer works at the site of an apartment building damaged during a Russian drone strike on Friday in the Rivne region. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters)

"We want to end this war as quick ​as possible. We don't see now signals from the Russian side that they are ready for this, to end this war, that's why we have to prepare for the winter," Zelenskyy said as he arrived in Brussels.

"The winter package is not only energy, it's ​also air defence and funding," Zelenskyy said, adding that he would discuss Ukraine's needs for the rest of this year and for ⁠2027.

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In an interview, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal ‌told Reuters that the EU would probably have to provide a new loan to Ukraine to help cover its budget gap for next year.

"Last winter was already hell, this one will be, once again, like hell," Michal said. "We have a lot of gaps to fill, and this is a European mission to fill the gaps that Ukraine needs."

Trump blindsided Zelenskyy last weekend by announcing a diesel transaction with Russia, and asserting that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities. Facing midterm elections in November, Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for pushing up energy prices that ​could cost him at the ballot box.

Ukraine ⁠struck a Russian oil refinery after Zelenskyy declared that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ‌ceasefire that Trump had announced, as he criticized the U.S. president's willingness to strike deals with Moscow.

"All he's doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that's a disgrace," Trump said in an interview with Newsmax, adding that Zelenskyy was more difficult to deal with than Russian President Vladimir Putin.