Leaders from NATO and the European Union meet in London to support Ukraine [Justin Tallis/Pool via Reuters]
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told European leaders that they all need to “step up” to a “once-in-a-generation moment” for the security of the continent, at a summit in London aimed at strengthening military cooperation and reaffirming support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Starmer said on Sunday that getting a good outcome for Ukraine was “vital to the security of every nation here and many others, too”.
He was flanked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron during the official photo to mark the start of talks, which more than a dozen European leaders are attending.
Earlier on Sunday, Starmer said the United Kingdom, France and Ukraine had agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States.
The summit is taking place two days after talks broke down between US President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy, when Trump blasted Zelenskyy for not being grateful enough for US support.
“Europe must do the heavy lifting” in securing peace in Ukraine, Starmer said after hosting talks with European leaders.
“But to support peace in our continent, and to succeed, this effort must have strong US backing,” said Starmer, who also announced a deal allowing Ukraine to use £1.6 billion ($2bn) of UK export finance to buy more than 5,000 air defence missiles.
The three essentials Starmer listed for a successful peace deal were: arming the Ukrainians to put them in a position of strength; including a European element to guarantee security; and providing a “US backstop,” to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from breaking promises
Starmer’s call for European allies to increase their arms spending to shore up their own defences and Ukraine’s was not a sign that he thought the United States had become an unreliable ally, he said. No two countries are closely aligned than the UK and the US, Starmer said.
“One thing our history tells us is that if there is conflict in Europe, it will wash up on our shores,” he said
Representatives from Germany, Denmark, Italy, Turkiye, NATO and the European Union attended the summit.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday evening that Europe urgently needs to rearm and member states must be given the fiscal space to carry out a surge in defence spending.
Von der Leyen added that Europe also needed to show the United States that it was ready to defend democracy.
“After a long time of underinvestment, it is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time,” she told reporters after the meeting in London.
Reporting from London, Al Jazeera’s James Bays said that diplomats are initially looking to try initially to salvage US support for the Ukraine, but are also going to be discussing a plan B.
“There are a number of different proposals floating around. The Italians want there to be a summit of the EU and the US to take place, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s proposal is backed by Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk,” Bays said.
“Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan … is proposing that Turkiye lead peace talks that would take place between Russia and Ukraine under Turkish auspices,” he continued.
Bays added that one of the things that is likely to be discussed in London and is the worry among NATO members is that Trump could pull out the troops stationed in several European countries after the invasion of Ukraine.
Peter Zalmayev, executive director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, told Al Jazeera that now is the time for more countries to join the UK and France in pledging more security guarantees.
“I certainly hope they will because if Europe did not wake up this time, it will never wake up,” he said, speaking from Kyiv.
“We are talking about concrete actions and creative solutions even if they sometimes go against the norms regulating financial transactions.”
The meeting in the UK comes before a summit in Brussels, scheduled to take place on Thursday, where the European Commission will announce a defence package for Europe, including Ukraine.
The package aims to bolster Ukraine’s defences and reinforce regional security, emphasising the need for a strong, lasting deal to safeguard Kyiv’s sovereignty. Ukraine’s European allies are seeking to address growing concerns over Trump’s approach to negotiations with Russia, which many fear could undermine Kyiv’s position.
Zelenskyy arrived in London on Saturday and was greeted by Starmer. The two leaders shared an embrace and announced a $2.84bn loan agreement to bolster Ukraine’s defence capabilities, funded by profits from frozen Russian assets.
Zelenskyy’s visit to London followed a tense encounter at the White House, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticised him for rejecting proposed truce terms and accused him of ingratitude. Trump also warned that Zelenskyy’s stance risked escalating the conflict into a global war.
Despite the heated exchange, Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine remains open to dialogue with the US.
“Despite the tough discussions, we remain strategic partners,” he wrote on X after his meeting. “But honesty and directness are essential to understanding our shared goals.”
Trump’s recent overtures to Putin have alarmed Kyiv and its European allies. The US president has positioned himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelenskyy, sidelining traditional diplomatic channels and prioritising rapprochement with Moscow.
Last week, Trump claimed “significant progress” had been made towards a peace deal in Ukraine, though details remain unclear.
But as the Ukrainian leader left the White House, Trump took to social media to say that Zelenskyy was not “ready for peace if America is involved”.
Following the spat, European leaders were quick to offer their support for the beleaguered Ukrainian leader.
