The leaders of the European Union were ready to invite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the EU summit in Brussels but did not do so due to fears about the reaction of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Zelenskyy himself also wanted to be personally present at the summit.

As reported by Politico, two European diplomats at the meeting of the representatives of EU countries said that several ambassadors expressed reservations about inviting Zelenskyy to the summit.

They feared that the presence of the Ukrainian president could antagonise Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and make the Hungarian's position towards Ukraine even more intransigent.

In addition, Zelenskyy being invited to participate in the summit personally was a real possibility before 13 December, European Pravda says.

As reported, Zelenskyy addressed the EU leaders on 17 December via video link and urged them to leave Putin dissatisfied with the agreements.