EU leaders, except one, reject Putin's demand to halt military aid to Ukraine

The European Union has rejected Vladimir Putin's demand that military aid to Ukraine be completely cut off as part of ongoing negotiations towards a ceasefire, which the Russian leader has only partially accepted.

Putin reiterated his demand during a phone call with Donald Trump on Tuesday, when he agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, much less the broad, unconditional ceasefire that the US and Ukraine agreed to last week in Saudi Arabia.

"It was emphasized that a complete cessation of the provision of foreign military and intelligence assistance to Kiev should become the main condition for preventing an escalation of the conflict and progressing towards its resolution through political and diplomatic means," the Kremlin said in a comment on the call.

But on Thursday, EU leaders, except one, unequivocally rejected this request.

In conclusions adopted during a summit in Brussels, heads of state and government reaffirmed their commitment to continue providing weapons and ammunition to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces resist full-scale Russian invasion.

"The European Union maintains its 'peace through strength' approach, which requires Ukraine to be in the strongest possible position, with its robust military and defense capabilities as an essential component," the text says.

"It calls on member states to urgently step up efforts to address Ukraine's urgent military and defense needs."

Ahead of the summit, António Costa, the president of the European Council, said: "We will continue to support Ukraine now, in future negotiations and, especially, in peacetime."

The conclusions on Ukraine were adopted as an “extract” by 26 leaders, after Viktor Orbán refused, once again, to sign up.

The Hungarian prime minister has spent recent weeks railing against the EU's Ukraine policy, suggesting that Trump's inauguration has made it "obsolete."

Orbán is a vocal critic of military aid to Kiev and for nearly two years, has blocked reimbursement himself through a €6.6 billion EU joint fund.

He has twice threatened to "spoil" the extension of EU sanctions against Russia, only backing down at the last minute.

Officials and diplomats in Brussels are accustomed to Budapest's opposition and have resorted to the "extract" format to allow the 26 countries to maintain an ambitious text, rather than using "watered down" language that Orbán might be willing to tolerate.

The text approved on Thursday welcomes Trump's diplomatic steps and "calls on Russia to show real political will to end the war," raising the specter of new sanctions as a way to "increase pressure" on the Kremlin.

The 26 countries also commit to supporting "Ukraine's reform efforts on its path towards EU membership."Telegraph/