British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is holding a conference with European leaders in London, which will include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among others.
The conference is aimed at rallying support from European countries for the establishment of “a just and lasting peace” for Ukraine. It will be attended by European leaders, including France, Germany, Turkey, NATO and representatives from the European Union (EU).
The conference comes two days after Ukrainian President Zelensky held a heated exchange with US President Donald Trump at the White House, where a peace deal was being negotiated between Ukraine and Russia, a war that has been ongoing since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
On Saturday, Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky signed a $2.8 billion loan deal to help counter the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Starmer said the UK, France and Ukraine would draw up a ceasefire plan and present it to the US.
Multiple photos have emerged of a heated argument between Zelensky and Trump at the White House. Trump commented on Zelensky's attire, saying, "You look very dressed up today," which immediately turned into a heated situation. Trump told Zelensky, "You don't look grateful at all. That's not good."
Zelensky told Trump, “There should be no compromise with Russian President Putin,” which soured relations with the US president.
Polish Prime Minister supports Italy's plan
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country supports Italy's proposal to convene a summit of the US and European countries to discuss the war in Ukraine. The call was made by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, where she highlighted the need for the US, Europe and their allies to sit down together and discuss the war in Ukraine directly.
Starmer calls for European 'coalition of the willing'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC he hoped a European “coalition of the willing” would play an effective role in supporting Ukraine. He said any ceasefire must be supported by the United States to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine again.
“We want to find those countries in Europe that are ready to take a more active role,” Starmer said. “The UK and France are at the forefront of this, and President Macron and I are working on this plan, which we will discuss with the US later.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said that if Russia does not stop in Ukraine, it could expand further west, possibly to Moldova and Romania. “We are talking about our security,” Macron said. He added that the US should continue to support the Ukrainian side, because it is important for the security of Europe.
This conference could be an important step for Ukraine, as coordination between European countries and the United States is essential to achieving a peaceful solution.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview that the new US administration is rapidly changing its foreign policy, which is in line with Russia's views. Peskov said that the policy adopted by the Trump administration towards Ukraine is positive for Russia.
Today's conference will discuss the future of Ukraine and the establishment of peace there. Ukrainian leaders and leaders of other European countries know that it is not possible to establish a lasting peace for Ukraine without the help of the United States, but they are facing a major challenge at the moment, because some US leaders have lost interest.
There are concerns about how European countries and the UK will continue to provide financial and military assistance to Ukraine in this critical situation in the world.
