Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday praised Europe's "real leaders" for standing by Kyiv on Friday, as his strained relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump clouds a summit focused on securing further support for Ukraine.
"I'm so thankful that we have such huge support from EU Council Commission and leaders – real leaders," Zelenskyy said, emphasizing Europe's backing since the beginning of the war.
The remarks come as tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine have flared up after SpaceX's Starlink service was restricted in Ukraine earlier this week, slowing down the connectivity Ukraine relies on to defend against Russian attacks.
"With U.S. limiting the use of Starlinks on the battlefield, Russia feels that this is their moment to try and inflict even more pain and suffering on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure," Ukrainian First Deputy Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport Serhiy Derkach told CNBC on Friday.
"We are definitely moving towards very harsh weeks and months and need our partners' support now more than ever," he added.