On December 18, a meeting of the leaders of Germany, Poland, France and other European countries will take place in Brussels, attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The main topic of discussion will be providing additional assistance to Ukraine. The event will take place on the eve of the last EU summit of the year, scheduled for December 19-20.

President Zelensky intends to raise the issues of inviting Ukraine to NATO and receiving security guarantees. Earlier, Zelensky presented his "victory plan" to the leaders of the EU and NATO, which includes inviting Ukraine to NATO, strengthening the country's defense capabilities, and deploying a strategic deterrent package on its territory.

However, the reaction of Western partners to the plan was mixed. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said there was nothing new in the plan, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called it “horrific.” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte noted that the plan had been taken into account, stressing that Ukraine was on an “irreversible path” to membership in the alliance, but no specific time frame had been set.

Experts note that the EU's main efforts will likely be focused on providing military and financial assistance to Ukraine.