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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived in Spain on Thursday to participate in a European summit aimed at strengthening cooperation across the continent as concern rises about waning support for his country as it faces another winter of Russian aggression.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian leader\u2019s trip to the southern Spanish city of Granada came a day after President Biden expressed worries<\/a> that the recent political turmoil in Congress could disrupt the flow of U.S. aid to Ukraine.<\/p>\n Asked if he was concerned about a possible scaling back of U.S. military aid, Mr. Zelensky it was \u201ctoo late for us to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n In his speech at the summit meeting, he said<\/a> that he predicted the United States would continue to support Ukraine\u2019s war efforts, noting that meetings<\/a> with Mr. Biden and with Congress members last month were positive.<\/p>\n \u201cI am confident in America,\u201d he said in his speech at the conference. \u201cConfident. They are strong people, strong society, with strong institutions, strong energy of democracy. I was recently in Washington. I talked to President Biden. I talked to congressmen from both parties, both chambers. They fully support the defense of freedom and understand that it is Russia and other enemies to our way of life who want to ride such political storms.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Zelensky earlier had said that the \u201cjoint goal\u201d of those gathering in Granada was \u201cto ensure the security and stability of our common European home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will pay special attention to the Black Sea region as well as our joint efforts to strengthen global food security and freedom of navigation,\u201d he wrote on X<\/a>, formerly Twitter. \u201cUkraine\u2019s key priority, particularly as winter approaches, is to strengthen air defense.\u201d<\/p>\n E.U. leaders are expected to discuss long-term financial aid for Ukraine at a summit planned later this month in Brussels \u2014 but the topic might come up at the meeting in Spain as well, diplomats said.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, told reporters in Granada that what Ukraine needed was \u201cpredictability and reliability\u201d on direct budget support.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very confident of support for Ukraine from the United States,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat the United States is working on is the timing.\u201d<\/p>\n But Josep Borrell Fontelles, the top E.U. diplomat, told reporters before the summit that the events in the U.S. were \u201cnot expected\u201d and \u201cnot good news.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUkraine needs the support of the European Union,\u201d he said. \u201cBut also the support of the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Borrell added: \u201cCertainly, Europe cannot replace the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s meeting in Granada comes amid concerns about potential cracks in Europe\u2019s united front on Ukraine, as governments reckon with the economic and political costs of providing long-term support for Kyiv.<\/p>\n It is just the third meeting of the European Political Community, a pan-continental gathering of leaders from nearly 50 countries<\/a> that was created after Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Larger than the 27-nation European Union, it includes countries like Ukraine and Moldova that are impatient with the long process of securing E.U. membership. It is not a decision-making body, but rather a forum for leaders to exchange views.<\/p>\n Last year at the summit, Mr. Zelensky pushed for Ukraine to gain membership in the European Union and NATO<\/a>.<\/p>\n The European Union gave Ukraine a path to membership last year. But joining is a long and painstaking process, which usually takes several years, even for nations that are not at war. The E.U. is expected to decide in December whether to open negotiations with Ukraine, the next step in the process and one which would require the unanimous backing of all 27 member states.<\/p>\n