Zelensky meeting EU, UK & Canada leaders in London

Post Reply New Topic

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined leaders from Europe, Turkey and Canada in London on Sunday for a summit on the war in Ukraine and European security hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Summit host Starmer, sitting next to Zelensky and in front of the flags of Ukraine and European nations, said it was "a once-in-a-generation moment for the security of Europe and we all need to step up." He told Zelensky, "I hope you know that we are all with you and the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. Everyone around this table."

Eighteen allies were gathered on the key question of security guarantees for Ukraine, especially after Trump berated his Ukrainian counterpart in an unprecedented White House blow-up.
Ukraine's allies have been underscoring their steadfast commitment to counter growing concerns that Trump is about to sell Kyiv short in negotiations with Russia. With fears growing over whether the United States will continue to support NATO, the meeting will also address the need for Europe to increase defence cooperation.
Starmer gave Zelensky a hug at the entrance to Lancaster House before the meeting. Starmer says Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan they can present to the United States.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced billions in support for Ukraine on Sunday following a summit with European leaders, just days after President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

Starmer announced a loan of 2.2 billion British pounds ($2.8 billion) to support Ukraine, funded through the freezing of Russian assets passed on Saturday. He also highlighted a new deal that would allow Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds ($2 billion) in export finance to buy missiles made in Northern Ireland.

Starmer vowed to bolster Ukraine to allow the nation to negotiate a peace agreement from a position of power.

“We have to learn from the mistakes of the past,” Starmer said at a press conference. “We cannot accept a weak deal like Minsk, which Russia can break with ease. Instead any deal must be backed with strength. Every nation must contribute to that in the best way that it can.”

The Minsk agreements are a set of deals aimed at ending the fighting between Ukrainian armed forces and Russian separatists. Zelenskyy also referenced the weakness of the Minsk agreements during his tense visit to the Oval Office last week.

Backing of any peace deal would include U.S. security guarantees, according to Starmer. The British premier rejected a characterization posed by a reporter that the U.S. was an “unreliable ally.”

“The discussions we’ve had today, particularly the coalition of the willing, is on the basis that this is a plan we will work on with the U.S. and that it will have U.S. backing,” Starmer said, adding that he spoke to Trump Saturday night.

Leaders must work to secure more support for Ukraine, because while the Russians talk of peace, they are “continuing their relentless aggression,” Starmer said Sunday in his opening remarks of the summit.

“Getting a good outcome for Ukraine is not just a matter of right and wrong. It’s vital for the security of every nation here,” Starmer said.

Russia’s top diplomat, meanwhile, praised what he called Trump’s “common sense” approach to ending a war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, and accused European countries of trying to prolong the conflict.

With many of America’s once staunch allies now uncertain where they stand with the Trump administration, leaders and officials from more than a dozen countries attended the high-level meeting at Lancaster House, a 200-year-old mansion near Buckingham Palace.

Starmer gave Zelenskyy a warm hug and a handshake outside his home at No. 10 Downing St. on Saturday and said he was determined to end the war in Ukraine, where Russian forces control nearly one-fifth of the country.