Zelensky huddles with European leaders as Trump looms 

BRUSSELS, Dec 18: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was to meet NATO chief Mark Rutte and key European leaders in Brussels Wednesday to discuss "next steps" on Russia's war as Donald Trump prepares to take office as US president.

This evening's gathering was expected to involve leaders from Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, and the European Union's main institutions. 

French President Emmanuel Macron and British premier Keir Starmer looked set to miss it due to schedule clashes, but would send their foreign ministers instead.
The huddle comes just over a month before Trump moves into the White House, having pledged to bring a swift end to a conflict that NATO says has left more than one dead million and wounded since Russia's 2022 invasion.     —AFP