London - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday Europe was at a crossroads in history and must do the heavy lifting to defend itself as world leaders met in London to discuss ways of working together to stop Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Starmer pledged to supply more arms to defend Ukraine, announcing that the U.K. will use 1.6 billion pounds ($2 billion) in export financing to supply 5,000 air defense missiles.
His call for European allies to increase their arms spending to shore up their own defenses 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 U.K. and the U.S., 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.
The summit comes two days after U.S. support for Ukraine appeared in greater jeopardy after President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he wasn’t grateful enough for U.S. support.
“Even while Russia talks about peace, they are continuing their relentless aggression,” Starmer said at the outset of the meeting.
Starmer, flanked by Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron, said the three of them had agreed to work on a peace plan to take to the U.S., which has discussed brokering a peace deal.
“To support peace in our continent, and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing,” he said.
The meeting had been overshadowed by the extraordinary scolding of Zelenskyy by Trump.
Starmer said he’s focused on being a bridge to restore peace talks, whose collapse he used as an opportunity to re-engage with Trump, Zelenskyy and Macron rather than “ramp up the rhetoric.”
Starmer says he trusts Trump but not Putin
Sunday’s summit included talks on establishing a European military force to be sent to Ukraine to underpin a ceasefire. Starmer said it would involve “a coalition of the willing.”
Starmer told the BBC 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 (Russian President Vladimir) Putin comes again,” Starmer said.
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 “U.S. backstop,” to prevent Putin from breaking promises.
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 center of negotiations and tilt his allegiances toward Europe.
Britain's King Charles III and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also met at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England, on the same day.
Main photo: Leaders from Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania were at the summit. The Turkish foreign minister, NATO secretary-general and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council were also in attendance.//AFP
