Ukrainian president Zelensky is attending the European summit in Brussels. At the start he was pictured with all 27 heads of state and government during the “family photo”.
Afterwards Belgian PM De Croo spoke of the significance of Mr Zelensky’s visit: “It’s a clear signal that Europe is united in support of Ukraine, that we will do everything we can to help Ukrainians live in peace. Belgium is providing broad support. European leaders will now have an opportunity to speak with Mr Zelensky in smaller groups to see what further help we can provide. It’s not just about military support but also humanitarian support, to help the population through this difficult winter”.
Quizzed about Belgian military support and a possible request for fighter-jets the Belgian leader said we needed our F-16 fighter jets: “They are used to defend NATO for air policing in the Baltics. We need them to protect Belgian air space. We’ve always been clear we need our own F-16s. We can help them with many other things”.