Ukraine presses for EU membership at summit, conflict support

President of the European Council Charles Michel welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy prior to a meeting between leaders of EU countries and the governments of the "Eastern Partnership", a group of six neighbouring states which includes Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, during the European Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, December 15, 2021. Kenzo Tribouillard/Pool via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The leaders of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova lobbied the European Union at a summit on Wednesday to let them begin negotiations to join the bloc, but for now they are expected only to win reassurances of support against any possible Russian aggression.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the Brussels summit to seek an end to the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and to emphasise warnings of more EU sanctions on Russia if it invades.