EU leaders have a packed agenda during their one-day summit on Thursday but one of their key objectives will be to show unity in their support for Ukraine.
EU leaders gathering in Brussels on Thursday will have one clear goal in mind: to back Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace efforts and keep US President Donald Trump on board.
Zelenskyy will attend the summit in person as European heads of state rally around him after a difficult meeting in Washington last week.
There is hope that the long-awaited 19th package of sanctions which targets Russian liquified natural gas (LNG), oil infrastructure, the "shadow fleet" and crypto, as well as the movements of Russian diplomats across the bloc, will finally be approved.
However, one of the thorniest points of discussion will be over the Commission's plan for a reparation loan - ie, using immobilised Russian assets held in Belgium to finance Kyiv's defence and reconstruction - with the EU keen to ensure it is legally airtight.
Other issues leaders will chew on also include moving forward with plans to boost European defence, and how to bolster the bloc's competitiveness while keeping true to its climate commitments. In fact, one EU official described the climate file as "the most difficult" for leaders to address.
Other items on the agenda include the Middle East, migration and housing.
Follow the action in our live blob below (which will kick off at 08:00 CET on Thursday):
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Here we go again!
Hello and welcome to Euronews' live blog for the leaders' summit that will take place in Brussels on Thursday.
Our crack team of reporters will bring you the latest on the wide-ranging discussions that will cover support for Ukraine, European defence, competitiveness, the Middle East, migration and even, for the first time ever, housing.
Here's the provisional schedule:
- 08:30 Arrivals and doorsteps
- 10:00 Exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament
- 11:00 European Council working session - morning
- 13:30 European Council working lunch
- 15:00 European Council working session - afternoon
- 20:00 Euro Summit working dinner
European Council chief Antonio Costa wants this summit to be a one-day affair so, given the packed agenda, expect us to still be at it well after dinner and into the night.