•Britain, France, Ukraine agree to work on cease-fire
After President Donald Trump’s heated exchange with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House last week, the Ukrainian president yesterday met with European leaders at Lancaster House in London to discuss Russia’s war on his country.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told European leaders at the summit that they need to step up and continue to support Kyiv and meet a “once in a generation moment” for the security of Europe.
“Even while Russia talks about peace, they are continuing their relentless aggression,” Starmer said at the opening of the meeting.
Starmer, flanked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron, said the three of them have agreed to work on a plan to stop the fighting, and then take it to the United States, which has discussed brokering a peace deal. “We need to agree what steps come out of this meeting to deliver peace through strength for the benefit of all,” he said. “So, let’s get started.”
The British also announced that the UK will be giving Ukraine access to £1.6bn ($2.01bn) to buy new missiles.
Europe must do the heavy lifting in any peace deal, Starmer said, but the agreement would need U.S. backing.
Referring to the coalition of the willing, he said “a number of countries” have indicated today they want to be part of the plan being developed, saying he will leave those countries to make their own statements about how they want to make those contributions.
“I strongly feel that unless some countries move forward, we will stay in the position we’re in and not be able to move forward. It is a deliberate plan to ensure we get some momentum and a pace here. It’s intended to preserve the peace and ensure we stay in lockstep with the US,” which he says he believes is the best way to preserve security in Europe and the UK.
The meeting, which has taken on greater importance in defending the war-torn ally, has been overshadowed by the extraordinary scolding of Zelenskyy by President Trump, who blasted him Friday at the White House as being ungrateful for U.S. support against the invasion by Russia.
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Starmer told CBS News partner BBC that he does not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin but does trust Trump.
“Do I believe Donald Trump when he says he wants lasting peace? The answer to that is yes,” he said.
Starmer said there are “intense discussions” to get a security guarantee from the U.S.
“If there is to be a deal, if there is to be a stopping of the fighting, then that agreement has to be defended, because the worst of all outcomes is that there is a temporary pause and then Putin comes again,” Starmer said. “That has happened in the past. I think it is a real risk, and that is why we must ensure that if there’s a deal, it is a lasting deal, not a temporary pause.”
The three essentials Starmer listed for 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 “U.S. backstop,” to prevent Putin from breaking promises.
“That’s the package. All three parts need to be in place, and that’s what I’m working hard to bring together,” Starmer said.
Starmer hosted the meeting at Lancaster House, a 200-year-old mansion near Buckingham Palace, following a charm offensive last week to persuade Trump to put Ukraine at the centre of negotiations and tilt his allegiances toward Europe.