EU leaders insist no decisions can be taken about Ukraine without its consent

Volodymyr Zelensky, left, speaks to European Council president Antonio Costa as they arrive for an EU summit (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

European Union leaders have insisted 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 US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Ukraine’s position is precarious more than 1,000 days into the war.