EU leaders insist no decisions can be taken about Ukraine without Ukraine, or behind their backs

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders insisted on Thursday that no decisions can be taken about the future of war-ravaged Ukraine without its consent or behind the backs of its partners in Europe, barely a month before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Ukraine’s position is precarious more than 1,000 days into the war. Russia continues to make gains on the battlefield, pushing the front line gradually westward despite suffering heavy casualties. Ukraine’s energy network is in tatters and military recruits are hard to find.

In a show of solidarity at a summit in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, many EU leaders repeated a variation of what has become a common mantra — nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nothing about security in Europe without Europeans.

Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20 having promised to end the war in Ukraine quickly and talked up his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many Europeans are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine.

The other big worry is that Putin will use any interregnum to rearm and cause more strife.

Rumors are swirling in Europe about possible peace talks in early 2025, and whether European peacekeepers might be needed to enforce any settlement, but the leaders are trying to keep a lid on speculation about what they are prepared to do so as not to tip their hand to Russia.

The priority now, they say, must be to strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it’s important to “ensure long-term aid to Ukraine -– it must be clear that we are prepared to enable support as long as it is needed.” Air defense, artillery and ammunition are high on the list, he told reporters.

Asked about Trump, Scholz said that his impression from talking to the president-elect “is that good cooperation between Europe and the U.S. is possible.” He said that “the principle is always: no decisions over Ukrainians’ heads, and that of course means over those of the European states.”

Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden had a similar message.

“We need to stand with Ukraine, and every step … needs to be taken with Ukraine and in the presence of the European Union. The future of Ukraine is decided in Europe and not elsewhere,” he said.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof underlined that only Ukraine can determine the conditions for talks, "and it is not for us to talk about that. At the moment, Ukraine has not yet indicated that they are prepared to do so.”

Zelenskyy said Kyiv needs the EU and U.S. to stay united next year, saying that “only together the United States and Europe can stop Putin and save Ukraine.” He said that the only effective security guarantee remains NATO membership.

Asked for details about what options are being discussed with the Europeans, Zelenskyy said he could not comment. “There are no decisions about it. There is some will ... political will, and understanding that Putin is dangerous, and total understanding that he will not stop on Ukraine,” he said.

It’s difficult to predict what Trump might do, and whether history might be a reliable guide.

Under his previous presidency, in 2020, the United States inked a deal on a military withdrawal from Afghanistan directly with the strongest player — the Taliban insurgents — mostly playing down the concerns of the Afghan government and president.

The chaotic exit in 2021, finally ordered by U.S. President Joe Biden, humiliated Washington and its allies in NATO as the Afghan security forces they had trained for years and invested billions in collapsed and the Taliban swept to power.

In Ukraine, the 27-nation EU has provided at least as much support — more than 180 billion euros ($187 billion) since Russia began its full-fledged invasion almost three years ago — as the United States.

But while the world’s biggest trading bloc can probably continue to prop up Ukraine’s ravaged economy, the EU is almost certainly unlikely to be able provide the military backing that the country’s armed forces would require to prevail.

Raf Casert in Brussels, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Council President Antonio Costa arrives for a round table meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaves the podium after addressing a media conference during an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa as they arrive for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

European Union leaders meet for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, center, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, center, speaks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

From left, Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Council President Antonio Costa attend a round table meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives for a round table meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa as they arrive for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO will return to New York to face murder charges after agreeing to be extradited Thursday during a court appearance in Pennsylvania where he was arrested last week after five days on the run.

Luigi Mangione waived a preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania charges in exchange for the prosecutor giving him a 20-page investigative report from the Altoona Police Department.

Mangione also waived extradition to New York.

Here's the latest:

“Violence to make your point is never acceptable in our country, in our system of justice,” Weeks said.

He appeared to glance at a TV camera but did not say anything.

The black SUV then drove off.

In court in Pennsylvania, Mangione and his lawyer, Tom Dickey, pored over documents, with Mangione occasionally nodding. He was immediately ushered out of the courtroom at the conclusion of the hearings.

Luigi Mangione has added a prominent defense lawyer to his legal team as Manhattan prosecutors work to return him from Pennsylvania to face a murder charge.

Mangione will be represented by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who was a high-ranking deputy in the Manhattan district attorney’s office for years before entering private practice.

Friedman Agnifilo’s law firm, Agnifilo Intrater LLP, confirmed in a statement late Friday that she had been retained to represent Mangione. The firm said she will not be commenting on the case at this time.

▶ Read more about Mangione’s legal defense team

And reporters are waiting in line to get inside the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.

A few supporters of Mangione are also in line, holding signs that say “Luigi the people hear you,” “Murder for profit is terrorism” and “Free Luigi.” One man said he came from Ohio to attend the hearings

New York prosecutors are using a 9/11-era anti-terrorism law in their case against the man charged with gunning down UnitedHealthcare’s CEO outside a midtown Manhattan hotel.

Luigi Mangione was indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism, under a state law that allows for stiffer sentences when a killing is aimed at terrifying civilians or influencing government.

If it sounds like an unusual application of a terrorism law, it’s not the first time the statute has been applied to a case that wasn’t about cross-border extremism or a plot to kill masses of people.

Mangione is jailed on other charges in Pennsylvania, where he is scheduled to appear at an extradition hearing Thursday that could clear the way for him to be brought to New York.

▶ Read more about the anti-terrorism law and the case surrounding the death of Brian Thompson.

The preliminary hearing on forgery and firearms charges and consideration of a fugitive from justice complaint against Luigi Mangione may not take long.

He is expected to waive extradition, clearing the way for his return to New York, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

Court officials said Mangione will attend the early morning proceedings at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg. If a judge authorizes his extradition, Mangione would then be brought to New York, where he could appear in state court for arraignment Thursday afternoon or Friday.

▶ Read more about what to expect in Thursday’s Pennsylvania court hearing

Police officers wait for the arrival of Luigi Nicholas Mangione at Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pa., Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, Pool)