Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently hosted a summit on Ukraine, attended by several European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The European leaders are now leaving Lancaster House one by one after nearly two hours of talks, where the main topics of discussion were the current situation in Ukraine, Russia's aggression and future peace talks.
Meanwhile, Starmer will hold a press conference after the conference, where he will address the main points of the conference and its next steps. This will take place at 17:00 GMT.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also attended the conference and reiterated Turkey's previous proposal to hold peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Turkey took the initiative to hold peace talks for the first time since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and successfully implemented an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea.
Fidan also said that he discussed the latest situation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Ukrainian President Zelensky in Ankara last month. Turkey has the second largest army in NATO and is ready to assist in the peace process, but this will depend on the nature of the negotiations and agreements.
While the leaders of the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, were not present at the summit, Prime Minister Keir Starmer contacted them via video conference and expressed regret for not inviting them to the summit. Astha Skaisgirite, a chief adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, said Starmer told them that such mistakes would be avoided in the future.
In addition, Starmer said the Baltic countries are playing a key role in supporting Ukraine and they believe Europe needs to come together, so any peace agreement is crucial to Europe's future security.
Prime Minister Starmer said that after discussions with Ukraine, a plan will be drawn up, which will be shared with the US and other countries. He noted that Russia, despite talking about peace, has continued its attacks. To get out of such a situation, it is necessary to achieve 'peace through strength'.
Starmer added that the aim of the conference was to develop an effective plan to end the war in Ukraine, which would then be discussed with world leaders. He noted that European leaders should come together to address the situation in Ukraine and ensure an end to the war.
At the start of the conference, NATO chief Mark Rutte expressed his sentiments, saying, “Everyone in Europe needs to cooperate more. We all want a peace agreement and it needs to be lasting. Europe really has a big role to play here.” He also said that Europe needs to increase defense spending to keep NATO strong.
At the end of the conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Sandringham, UK, where he will meet with King Charles III. It is a momentous meeting that has come with international support for Ukraine and praise from the royal family.
Main topics of the conference
The main topics discussed at this conference were:
- Stopping the war in Ukraine: How can world leaders come together to help ensure Ukraine's freedom and security?
- Peace through strength: The need for the use of force to initiate peace negotiations and reduce the damage of war.
- Security in Europe: European countries unite to confront Russian aggression and establish peace.
- Introduction to inclusion: The role and support of the Baltic states, Türkiye and other European countries.
This conference is crucial for increasing international support for the situation in Ukraine and advancing the peace process.
