On Thursday, EU leaders will meet for the last time this year. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is also present to personally express how the EU can best support the country during the winter.
Time is still on Ukraine's side, if the EU and other parties expand their support, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) in the Riksdag's EU Committee.
Recently, Zelenskyj met with the US's incoming President Donald Trump in connection with the re-inauguration of Notre Dame in Paris. According to Kristersson, it will be particularly interesting for EU leaders to talk to Zelenskyj after this.
The new US President is not mentioned by name among the agenda items, but he still looms over several topics at the summit. The shift in power can affect support for Ukraine, overall security policy, tariffs and trade, and the situation in the Middle East.
Don't take the US for granted, don't take American support for Ukraine for granted, don't take American financing of European NATO defense for granted. We've done that for far too long, says Kristersson.
He warns at the same time against rushing to conclusions about what will happen after January 20 when Trump takes office.
I strongly warn against drawing any hasty conclusions, he says.
Already on Wednesday evening, Zelenskyj will meet with NATO chief Mark Rutte and a group of EU leaders, including Germany's Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and France's President Emmanuel Macron.
The latter, however, has cancelled his attendance at the EU summit to instead travel to storm-hit Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.
