European leaders discuss future of support for Ukraine as Trump looms

Good morning. EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas has told the Financial Times that western leaders must stop pushing Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy towards peace talks with Russia and instead ensure they are not offering “empty” security guarantees, ahead of a summit of EU leaders today where future support to Kyiv will be top of the agenda.

Here, I report how a pre-summit meeting hosted by Nato chief Mark Rutte last night could influence today’s talks, and our environment correspondent reveals early roadblocks for the European Commission’s “omnibus” plan to cut red tape.

In the latest from the FT’s “Meet the Journalist” video series, I lift the lid on our Brussels coverage and take you on a tour of the EU’s corridors of power. You can also hear our banking editor Ortenca Aliaj and Los Angeles bureau chief Christopher Grimes talk about what makes them tick.

Brainstorm

Troops on the ground? Peacekeepers? A mutual defence guarantee that doesn’t include America? A select group of European leaders huddled in Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte’s house in Brussels last night to talk through potential ideas with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Context: Donald Trump’s winning US presidential election campaign where he vowed to cut off US aid to Ukraine and force Kyiv into peace talks has spooked European capitals and prompted far-ranging talks on how to respond.

Rutte’s guests, which included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, made proposals on how to increase support to Kyiv and structure long-term commitments, in talks that officials described as “brainstorming”.

Zelenskyy said at the outset that he wanted to discuss “security guarantees for Ukraine, for today and for tomorrow”.

“What is very important is to not be divided but have the same joint position of Europe; how to secure Ukraine, how to strengthen us,” Zelenskyy said.

With divergent views across European capitals on how to best support Ukraine and fund potential new actions, last night’s meeting and today’s summit are designed to air proposals, shortlist those with the highest support, and come up with plans to implement them.

They’re against the clock: Trump is inaugurated in just over a month, and Europe so far lacks a singular message on Ukraine, defence policy and a possible ceasefire stance to present to the White House.

“It is important that all the key players meet and we see what kind of co-operation we have . . . who does what and what is the outcome,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s chief diplomat, told the FT yesterday. “What could Nato do? And what could the European Union do?”

Chart du jour: Oil slip

Despite dire warnings about the price of olive oil this year, Spain’s Mercadona supermarket chain repeatedly cut prices. Read more from Alan Beattie on the trade crises that didn’t happen this year.

Stop the omnibus

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s deregulation drive has already hit speed bumps in the shape of opposition from lawmakers — including those in her own group, writes Alice Hancock.

Context: Von der Leyen said in October that she would present an “omnibus” law to reduce onerous red tape from several pieces of EU legislation, with a particular focus on sustainability reporting rules. The omnibus is scheduled to arrive in February — if it is on time.

Lawmakers in the European parliament, however, are not happy with the plan.

In a letter seen by the FT, Socialist leader Iratxe García Pérez urged von der Leyen to exercise “excess caution” on the direction of travel, and to particularly avoid slashing due diligence rules that force companies to tackle human rights and environmental abuses in their supply chains.

The due diligence directive does not “create any additional reporting obligations for European companies”, García wrote, and including it in the omnibus would “risk significant disruption” as member states are already turning the rules into national law.

A separate letter from Axel Voss, a member of von der Leyen’s own centre right European People’s party, says that simply cutting reporting rules will not “have the intended effect of reducing bureaucracy”, and that the commission should focus on streamlining contentious sectoral legislation, such as the bloc’s carbon border tax and the complicated chemicals regulation Reach.

But some are keen for the omnibus to arrive sooner rather than later. A letter by several German ministers calls for the commission to push ahead, laying out ways to roll back requirements that they feel are weighing on Germany’s small and medium-sized enterprises.

With such conflicting views, the commission — which did not respond to a request for comment — may have a tough time keeping the omnibus on track.

What to watch today

1. EU leaders’ summit in Brussels.

2. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers annual press conference.

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