ADVERTISEMENT

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said European leaders on Sunday agreed to steps to beef defence efforts and secure peace in Ukraine and stability across the continent at a summit staged as a show of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

But he said that the support and buy in of the US was essential to make the plan work.

Just two days after Zelenskyy clashed with US President Donald Trump and cut his Washington visit short, the Ukrainian leader was welcomed in London by world leaders, who hugged him in turn, and pledged their backing.

Leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania, as well as the Turkish Foreign Minister, participated in the summit at central London's Lancaster House billed as "Securing Our Future".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were also at the table.

Speaking at a press conference after the summit, Starmer announced that Ukraine's western allies will keep military aid flowing to accomplish the aim of a lasting peace that must ensure the liberty and sovereignty of Ukraine.

He also reiterated the readiness of the United Kingdom "to put boots on the ground and planes in the air" to defend Ukraine if necessary, evoking a "coalition of the willing" of other countries to do the same.

Europe must do the heavy lifting, but must have the strong backing of the United States, he said.

The summit took place two days after a disastrous bilateral in the Oval Office in which US President Trump and Vice President JD Vance upbraided Zelenskyy for being not grateful enough to the United States.

They accused the Ukrainian president of disrespect after urging him toward a diplomatic solution with Russia. They did not sign a deal on developing Ukraine's mineral resources that Kyiv hoped would spur Trump to back Ukraine’s war effort.

The meeting left many political observers shocked as to the re-alignment of the United States, as it vividly illustrated a sharp turn in US foreign policy toward Russia.

Coming out of the summit meeting, EU Commission president von der Leyen said Europe has to put Ukraine in a position of strength, which included economic, energy and military resilience.

She stressed the "importance" of providing security guarantees to Ukraine to turn the war-torn country into a "steel porcupine" that would be "indigestible for potential invaders" like Russia.

Then, she spoke about the need to "urgently" rearm the European Union and unleash a "surge" in defence spending that can meet the new geopolitical situation.

"We really have to step up" and "prepare for the worst," she said. Von der Leyen said she would present a "comprehensive" defence plan to EU leaders when they all meet on 6 March for an emergency summit in Brussels.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ahead of the summit at Lancaster House, Starmer had a bilateral meeting with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni at 10 Downing Street. Meloni arguably has the best relationship with Trump of all western European leaders.

Starmer and Meloni reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, agreeing that "the UK and Italy will stand with them for as long as it takes", according to the official readout.

Following their meeting, Meloni said Italy and the UK can "build bridges" between Europe and the United States in a bid to repair a rift made worse by the Friday meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy.

"I think it is very, very important that we avoid the risk of the West splitting. And I think that in this the UK and Italy can play an important role," Meloni said, emphasising the importance of unity in the West.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I have proposed a meeting between the US and European leaders because if we divide we will all be weaker. We both think outside the box and I am certain that we can do even better in issues such as security, defence, energy and the fight against irregular immigration and human traffickers," Meloni added.

In the morning, Starmer also spoke to President Alar Karis of Estonia, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa of Latvia and President Gitanas Nausėda of Lithuania via video link. He underlined his focus on securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that ensures their future sovereignty, backed up by strong security guarantees, according to Downing Street.

Latvia's Evika Siliņa stressed it was "crucial" for the three Baltic states to remain "involved" in the diplomatic process and said she had "received confirmation" that NATO's Article 5 of collective defence "remains steadfastly in force, including from the US side." It appeared that this "confirmation" was delivered by Starmer himself, who met Donald Trump earlier this week, rather than by the US itself.

Lithuania's Nausėda urged the US and Ukraine to "return to the negotiation table, together with Europeans" and endorsed the idea of a European peacekeeping force as a "possible element of security guarantees for Ukraine."

ADVERTISEMENT

"We should not spare our effort to maintain a strong transatlantic bond," Nausėda said.