Bombay Durpun - Zelensky says Trump and EU must work together to secure peace

Trump returns to the White House next month having pledged to bring a swift end to a conflict that NATO says has left more than one million dead and wounded since Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion.

Talk has increasingly turned to ways Europe could help guarantee any ceasefire, with embryonic discussions over a possible deployment of peacekeepers one day.

But there are few specifics and Zelensky insisted that any steps to secure peace would have to involve the might of the United States.

"I believe that the European guarantees won't be sufficient for Ukraine," he said after talks with his EU counterparts.

Zelensky said he was supportive of an initiative mooted by French President Emmanuel Macron to potentially deploy Western troops -- but it needed to be fleshed out.

"If we are talking about a contingent, we need to be specific -- how many, what they will do if there is aggression from Russia," he said.

"The main thing is that this is not some artificial story, we need effective mechanisms."

Kyiv and its European allies fear that Trump's return means the volatile Republican could cut support for Ukraine's military and force Zelensky to make painful concessions to Moscow.

Ukraine's EU backers -- fearful of being left on the sidelines -- insist they want to step up support to put Kyiv in a position of strength for any potential negotiations.

- 'Bad deal' -

As the change of guard approaches in the US, Zelensky has appeared to soften his stance on any potential peace push.

He has said that if Ukraine is given firm security guarantees by NATO and enough weaponry it could agree to a ceasefire along current lines and look to regain the rest of its territory through diplomatic means.

But NATO members have rebuffed Kyiv's calls for an invitation to join their alliance right away, sparking speculation that sending peacekeepers could be an alternative.

In the near-term, Kyiv is desperate for more air defences and weapons as its flagging forces lose ground across the frontline to Russia.

"We have to do everything that is in our hands to support Ukraine," said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

Zelensky said it would be "very difficult" for Europe alone to support Ukraine without US involvement and pleaded for both sides to work together.

"I think only together the United States and Europe can really stop Putin and save Ukraine," he said.

European officials meanwhile fired warnings at Trump that any push to impose a deal on Ukraine could backfire.

"Any push for negotiations too soon will actually be a bad deal for Ukraine," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

- New Syria -

While the conflict in Ukraine was top of the agenda for EU leaders, the collapse of Assad's brutal rule in Syria also presented major opportunities -- and uncertainty.

European nations -- along with other international players -- are jostling for influence in the war-torn country after the end of the Assad family's five-decade domination.

But they are wary of the new authorities who are spearheaded by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has its roots in Al-Qaeda and is listed as a "terrorist" organisation by some Western governments.

The leaders were set to stake out a stance on how quickly to embrace nascent authorities in Damascus, with some countries like Italy pressing to act fast.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU needed to "engage with HTS, show that we are ready to provide a maximum of humanitarian support and try to stabilise the situation".

The bloc has said it stands ready to ramp up support for Syria -- but has laid out a raft of conditions the new authorities must respect.

Those include protecting minorities, overseeing an inclusive transition and shunning extremism.

Shuttering Russian bases in the country that key Assad ally Moscow used to project its power in the Middle East could also be on that list.

D.Wason--BD