Leaders of the European Union's 27 countries were due to discuss further support for Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky at an EU summit on October 16. The planned talks come amid concerns over Ukraine's finances and disruption to the Starlink satellite network used by its forces.

Ukraine seeks funding and air defence

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for more funding at the summit's opening, according to the German news agency dpa. He said support needed to continue through the winter and into next year.

Ukraine's finance minister said during a September visit to Brussels that the country's regular budget faced a $32.6 billion shortfall for 2027. He put the gap in defence spending at $45 billion. The European Commission is still checking the reliability of those figures.

Zelensky met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on October 15 and held talks with several European leaders. Rutte said they discussed a possible halt to attacks on energy facilities and continued support from NATO allies.

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Zelensky said Russia appeared to interpret US signals about easing sanctions as permission for further attacks on homes and infrastructure. He urged European countries to strengthen Ukraine's protection before winter, identifying air defence as the first priority.

Nearly 15,000 people in the northwestern region of Volhynia were without electricity after Russian attacks, dpa reported. Parts of Kyiv and its surrounding region also suffered outages. In some communities, the threat of repeat strikes prevented repair teams from starting work.

Germany demands answers over Starlink

A temporary Starlink slowdown weakened Ukraine's defences against drones, according to dpa. Ukraine accused the network's operator, SpaceX, and its chief Elon Musk of reducing service speeds. Musk blamed the US government, German news website Wöchentlich reported.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany pays for part of the Starlink technology and expects it to work for Ukraine. Speaking on the television programme Maybrit Illner on October 15, he said Germany had questions for its US allies. He said the picture remained incomplete and not everything had worked.

Germany's federal budget paid about €19.65 million to Starlink between 2022 and 2025, according to the German government.

Wadephul says serious peace talks have not begun

Wadephul said no serious peace negotiations with Russia were underway because President Vladimir Putin was not ready. He said diplomatic efforts would resume and expressed readiness for talks. He pointed to his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York in late September.

Wadephul also said Trump's diesel deal with Putin should not be overestimated. He discussed the agreement in the context of the US midterm elections.

The summit also comes amid tensions between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. Trump recently called for Zelensky's replacement, according to dpa.