{
    "title": "King Philippe to host Zelensky ahead of EU summit",
    "modified_at": "2026-06-17 12:06:27",
    "published_at": "2026-06-17 12:06:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/king-philippe-to-host-zelensky-ahead-of-eu-summit",
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    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "king-philippe-to-host-zelensky-ahead-of-eu-summit",
    "body": "<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>King Philippe will host Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for lunch at the Royal Palace on Thursday, the palace announced.</strong></p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Following the meeting, Zelensky will travel to Brussels to join EU heads of state and government for a European Council summit on Thursday and Friday. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Discussions are expected to focus on Russia&#039;s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, with the Ukrainian president set to brief leaders on the latest developments and Ukraine&#039;s EU accession ambitions.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Zelensky is currently engaged in a diplomatic effort to secure additional military support for Ukraine and stronger sanctions against Russia. That campaign has already yielded results at the recent G7 summit, where participating countries signalled their intention to increase pressure on Russia through tougher measures targeting the oil and gas sector. Ukraine also received commitments for additional long-range weapons and air defence systems.</p><p><sup><br>\u200bKing Philippe of Belgium (R) welcomes Ukraine&#039;s President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) at the Royal Palace, on the sidelines of the Special European Council, in Brussels on March 6, 2025. &copy; PHOTO GEERT VANDEN WIJNGAERT / POOL / AFP</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-930972c7-661d-41cd-9ffe-2b3342045402\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/zelensky-criticises-europe-at-wef-says-deal-on-us-security-guarantees-is-finished\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fa1f44685-9607-43e1-9ca3-437437161f1b%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=7d3508ea9bf239600184a92d253970a7)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/zelensky-criticises-europe-at-wef-says-deal-on-us-security-guarantees-is-finished\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"930972c7-661d-41cd-9ffe-2b3342045402\"\n           >\n                Zelensky criticises Europe at WEF, says deal on US security guarantees is &#039;finished&#039;            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Europe and NATO for what he described as a lack of decisive action against Russian leader...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fzelensky-criticises-europe-at-wef-says-deal-on-us-security-guarantees-is-finished&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<div id=\"bookmark-c7823c7f-77e6-48da-9564-4c12cb17c1a3\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/eu-formally-approves-90bn-ukraine-loan-and-20th-russia-sanctions-package#header-ukrainian-accession\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fc29ad09a-99b2-412b-9cba-f7dda5227716%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=c0aec652eebb7ea47c166b11214a2ed8)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/eu-formally-approves-90bn-ukraine-loan-and-20th-russia-sanctions-package#header-ukrainian-accession\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"c7823c7f-77e6-48da-9564-4c12cb17c1a3\"\n           >\n                EU formally approves \u20ac90bn Ukraine loan and 20th Russia sanctions package            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                The European Union has formally approved the 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine and the twentieth package of sanctions against Russia, the Cypriot...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Feu-formally-approves-90bn-ukraine-loan-and-20th-russia-sanctions-package&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>",
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Zelensky criticises Europe at WEF, says deal on US security guarantees is 'finished'",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/zelensky-criticises-europe-at-wef-says-deal-on-us-security-guarantees-is-finished"
        },
        {
            "description": "EU formally approves \u20ac90bn Ukraine loan and 20th Russia sanctions package",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/eu-formally-approves-90bn-ukraine-loan-and-20th-russia-sanctions-package#header-ukrainian-accession"
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    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
    },
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