Good morning from Brussels. European member states have taken initiatives to ensure they will be involved in talks over a potential ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine before incoming US President-elect Donald Trump takes over, Euractiv has learnt ahead of today’s EU summit. “Everything that is decided should always involve Ukraine and should always include Ukraine [...], and the same should be true with Europe,” Estonia's Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Euractiv in an interview, which will be published later today. Similarly, one EU diplomat told Euractiv that Europe’s role needs to be a message “we will need to stress also to Washington”. Practically, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte hosted an informal dinner last night with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders. The dinner focused on the need for continued EU support for Ukraine in the coming months, particularly strengthening air defence. The idea is to increase Ukraine’s leverage if Trump seeks an immediate ceasefire. Alexandra Brzozowski and Aurélie Pugnet report that various formats and initiatives have started to examine Europeans' future contribution to Ukraine, which is expected to expand in the coming weeks. In parallel, capitals are testing the waters for sending European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, but positions remain far apart. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy admitted in an interview with the French journal Le Parisien that his forces currently “do not have the strength” to reclaim land taken by Russia. | 