Assurances of continued military support are particularly crucial for Ukraine at a time of Trump’s imminent return to Washington.

THE the president-elect has clearly indicated that his administration expects Europe to take the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense and oversee any future ceasefire agreement between kyiv and Moscow, a stark contrast to the position of the current President Joe Biden. Trump is expected to return to the White House on January 20, leaving Zelensky with only weeks to ensure European allies are ready to take over as Ukraine’s main backers.

Rutte is just one of several European leaders the Ukrainian president is meeting with as he seeks to shore up support from his allies.

Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier today and plans to meet several other leaders, including German, Italian and Polish, as well as European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during his stay in Brussels.

“This is a very good opportunity to talk about security guarantees for Ukraine for today and tomorrow,” Zelensky said, adding that he plans to use his two days in Brussels to ensure that partners of Ukraine “have the same common position” in their approach to the country’s defense.