Separately, Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, has defended his comments calling for the normalisation of relations with Russia to re-establish cheap energy supplies.

Earlier this week, he told the Belgian newspaper L’Echo that “we are losing on all fronts, we must end the conflict in Europe’s interest.”

De Wever said Europe had to rearm “and at the same time we must normalise relations with Russia and regain access to cheap energy. It is common sense. In private European leaders tell me I am right, but no one dares say it out loud.”

But during his post-summit presser last night, he defended his position, saying he is used to the fact that “the first one who speaks [out], gets all the bad media.”

“It [caused] a commotion in Belgium, it always [causes] a commotion in Belgium, because it was the an ideal moment to play political games, but I noticed none of that in the room here, none, nothing. People know very well what I think in this room, I’m very outspoken, and they have no doubts of about my loyalty to Ukraine.”

De Wever said that his comments only related to a post-peace scenario, when Ukraine gets an acceptable peace deal with Russia.

“Once you have an acceptable peace for Ukraine and Europe, the next question is, what is your long term relationship [with] Russia?

Should it be hostility, a new cold war for decades, no relations, no economic [exchange], none whatsoever, or should your goal … be to go to normalisation. In that option, my idea as an historian is it would be better to go to normalisation; otherwise you have very little to offer.”

He said it was not up to him or other European leaders to “offer concessions” before a peace agreement with Ukraine is struck, but that the promise “of going back to normal relations is something that could be convincing for the other side” to engage in talks more seriously.

But De Wever insisted he was “very pro-Ukrainian,” particularly given his family background.

“I come from a family that has a history with Ukraine [going back] decades. I could tell you stories about my family in Ukraine that are very colourful.

My brother even smuggled money into Ukraine during the Soviet times to finance dissidents. And … my father was the first to cross the border into Ukraine to set up a aid organisation. My entire childhood, I remember Ukrainian presence in my house where Ukrainian families came to work and to earn some [money].

So the idea that I am not pro-Ukrainian is to me, quite insulting, even at the emotional level.”

But he said it was in Europe’s interest to resolve existing tensions as the geopolitical situation becomes too complicated to navigate.

“Having a war in the Middle East, having a war in Ukraine, having protectionism and tariffs from the United States, having fierce competition from China, with massive dumping of industrial products – it’s a lot for Europe. A lot. If I look around me in the world, I think this is a little bit too much. …

I think we should actively think about our situation and try to get to a better situation, that’s all I wanted to say.”

There are no prizes for guessing that his view is still unlikely to be particularly popular with several other EU leaders, not just in central and eastern Europe, who keep warning about Russia’s aggressive and expansionist policy…