Newsman: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Starmer outlined a plan to support Ukraine at the summit, including continuing the flow of aid to Ukraine and keeping up economic pressure on Russia. He said any lasting peace agreement must ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, and Ukraine must be at the negotiating table. Britain and France will work on a peace deal with Ukraine and present it to Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday, describing it as a step in the right direction following Friday’s explosive meeting in the White House.
During a news conference following the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “we have to learn from the mistakes of the past” and can’t “accept a weak deal” that Russia can break. All European countries must contribute to making a strong deal and “step up their own share of the burden,” Starmer added.
“The UK and France are the most advanced on the thinking of this and that is why President Macron and I are working on this plan, which we will then discuss with the U.S.”
Starmer spoke to Macron and Trump on Saturday after he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street.
Starmer repeated his assertion that a peace deal would only work in Ukraine if a possible European peacekeeping force had a security guarantee from the United States.
“I’ve always been clear that that is going to need a U.S. backstop, because I don’t think it would be a guarantee without it,” he said
European leaders gathered to a summit on Sunday in London following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tempestuous White House meeting that thrust U.S.-Ukrainian relations further into crisis.Volodymyr Zelensky was the last foreign leader to arrive for the meeting, the Ukrainian leader greeted. Zelenskyy arrived in the U.K. on Saturday, straight from his visit to Washington, D.C
In the event of a deal, Starmer said Europe will continue to help Ukraine militarily to deter any future military action by Russia. He also said there will be a “coalition of the willing” to help defend Ukraine.
Starmer said the United Kingdom is ready to back the plan with boots on the ground and planes in the air. He said he also recognizes that not all countries will be able to make this kind of commitment.
Starmer said that for a deal to work, it will need strong U.S. backing.
“We are working on a durable peace,” Starmer said.
When asked by a reporter about whether President Donald Trump would support the plan’s framework, Starmer said he spoke to Trump “last night” and that he “wouldn’t be going down this road if I didn’t think it had a chance.”
Starmer also introduced a £2.2 billion loan — about $2.7 billion U.S. — for Ukraine, backed by profits from Russian assets that his government announced on Saturday.
Zelenskyy also met with King Charles III on Sunday at Sandringham House, Buckingham Palace said.
Earlier, Starmer told BBC News that he had agreed with Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron that the U.K. and France would work on a Ukraine peace plan to then be presented to — and discussed with — the U.S. The prime minister added that “one or two” other nations may be involved in drafting the plan “to stop the fighting.”
In a statement, Starmer’s office said the prime minister will “intensify his efforts in pursuit of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine” while hosting Sunday’s summit in the British capital.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said he was “very positive heading into today’s meeting.” Rutte said his “three key points” were that Ukraine needs more immediate support from Europe, that any peace deal “has to last” with Europe “stepping up” to ensure its success, plus that Europe needs to increase defense spending “to keep NATO strong.”
The British leader’s statement said the key topics of discussion will include further military support for Ukraine, increased economic pressure on Russia, the need for a “strong” and “lasting” peace deal that “ensures that Ukraine is able to deter and defend against future Russian attack, plus planning for “strong security guarantees” provided by foreign partners.
“In partnership with our allies, we must intensify our preparations for the European element of security guarantees, alongside continued discussions with the United States,” Starmer said in a statement.
Zelenskyy on Saturday thanked Starmer for his “meaningful and warm” reception in London. The president also confirmed that Ukraine and London signed an agreement allowing Kyiv to access revenues generated by Russian financial assets frozen in the U.K.
“I thank the people and government of the United Kingdom for their tremendous support from the very beginning of this war,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “We are happy to have such strategic partners and to share the same vision of what a secure future should look like for all.”
