European leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine during a crisis summit in London over the weekend.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hastily arranged a meeting of European leaders, where he laid out a four-step proposal to continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
It followed a tense press conference between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House on Friday, ending in the Ukrainian leader leaving early without a deal to guarantee ongoing U.S. support.
Context
Zelenskyy travelled to the White House late last week to sign a trade deal with the U.S.
Under the terms of the deal, U.S. humanitarian and military aid would continue in exchange for rare earth elements extracted from Ukraine.
Ukraine’s rare earths – such as titanium and graphite – are used in manufacturing products like smartphones and wind turbines.
Zelenskyy arrived at the White House Oval Office and spoke to media while seated next to Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
In response to reporter questions, Vance accused Zelenskyy of not showing willingness to diplomatically engage to bring about an end to the war with Russia. Zelenskyy pushed back against the claims.
It turned into a heated exchange, with Trump and Vance accusing Zelenskyy of not being “grateful” for U.S. support and Trump saying the Ukrainian leader was “gambling with World War Three”.
London
Zelenskyy abruptly left the White House without any deal being signed.
He travelled to London, where he met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his official residence at Number 10 Downing Street. He also met with King Charles.
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French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez were among more than a dozen leaders who flew to London for a crisis meeting attended by Zelenskyy.
After the meeting, Starmer announced that Europe’s leaders supported a four-part plan on bringing about an end to the war in Ukraine:
- Continued military aid to Ukraine and Russian sanctions.
- Ensuring Ukraine is involved in a “lasting peace” deal.
- Building up Ukraine’s defences as part of a peace deal.
- Developing a “coalition of the willing” to protect Ukraine.
Starmer said, “Europe must do the heavy lifting.”
U.S. role
Following the meeting, Starmer said that the peace plan would be “discussed” with the U.S.
In response to a journalist’s questions, Starmer said: “I do not accept that the U.S. is an unreliable ally.”
In the hours since the London meeting, Zelenskyy has said “from our side, we are ready to sign” the U.S. critical minerals deal.
It’s not clear whether the U.S. remains committed to the deal. Trump posted on Truth Social, saying Zelenskyy “can come back when he’s ready for peace.”
