BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (AFP) - EU leaders meet their counterparts from Southeast Asia for a summit in Brussels on Wednesday, looking to bolster ties in the face of the war in Ukraine and challenges from China.

Europe is keen to boost trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which counts some of the world's fastest-growing economies.

"There is a need for Europeans to reconnect with ASEAN, one of the most dynamic areas in the world," the French presidency said.

The EU has been on a diplomatic push to galvanise a global front against Moscow as its invasion has sent economic and political shock waves around the world.

But ASEAN's 10 nations have been divided in their response to the Kremlin's war on Ukraine.

Singapore has gone along with Western sanctions on Russia, while Vietnam and Laos, which have close military ties to Moscow, have remained more neutral.

Along with Thailand, they abstained from a United Nations vote in October condemning Russia's attempted annexation of regions of Ukraine seized since February.

The diverging views led to intense wrangling over a final declaration from the summit as the EU pushed for stronger language to condemn Moscow.

An EU official said Brussels was satisfied in the end that it sent a "crystal clear message" of the need to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and independence.