British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined its European counterparts on Sunday to strengthen their borders and throw their weight behind Ukraine As he announced the contours of a plan to put an end to the Russian war.
“Each nation must contribute to it in the best way, bringing different capacities and support to the table, but all taking responsibility for acting, all intensifying their own share of the burden,” he said.
The exhortation of Starmer to 18 colleagues leaders that they need to make the big dupbage for their own security comes two days after the American support of Ukraine appeared in Jeopardy when President Donald Trump was unleashed to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy And said he was not grateful enough for the support of America.
The meeting had been overshadowed by the extraordinary reprimand. Starmer took advantage of the opportunity in the context of his broader efforts to fill the gap between Europe and the United States and also the recovery of what had seemed to be the beginning of a peace process before Friday spat.
Starmer said he had worked with France and Ukraine on the plan to end the war and that the group of leaders – mainly in Europe – agreed on four things.
Steps towards peace: maintaining aid to kyiv and maintaining economic pressure on Russia to strengthen the hand of Ukraine; Make sure that Ukraine is at the negotiating table and that any peace must ensure its sovereignty and security; Continue to arm Ukraine to dissuade the future invasion.
A “coalition of volunteers”
Finally, he said they would develop a “volunteer coalition” to defend Ukraine and guarantee peace.
“Any nation will not feel able to contribute, but that cannot mean that we sit down,” he said. “Instead, those who wish to intensify planning now with real emergency. The United Kingdom is ready to support this with boots on the ground and airplanes, with others. »»
He said any plan would require solid support in the United States. He did not specify what it meant, although he said to the BBC before the summit that there were “intense discussions” to obtain a security guarantee in the United States
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“If there must be an agreement, if there must be a stop of the fighting, then this agreement must be defended, because the worst of all the results is that there is a temporary break, then (Russian president Vladimir) Putin returns,” said Starmer.
Starmer said he would later bring a more formal plan to the United States and work with Trump.
Two diplomatic advances, one back
Europe has been anxious since Trump launched direct peace talks with Putin, who had been isolated by most Western leaders since invading Ukraine three years ago. The race to remain relevant and protect European interests, because their formerly faithful ally seemed to make fun of Putin even more disturbing when Trump qualified Zelenskyy as a dictator and falsely declared that Ukraine triggered the war.
Last week’s meetings had given some hope – until Zelenskyy’s trip to the White House.
Visits to the Oval Office by French President Emmanuel Macron, who had declared his visit to a “turning point”, and Starmer was considered marches in the right direction. The meetings were cordial and Trump even took a softer tone towards Ukraine, although he does not undertake to provide American security guarantees and that Europe was to provide peacekeeping troops.
Within 12 hours of the return of Washington Starmer, the peace speech seemed to collapse while vice-president JD Vance reprimanded Zelenskyy for disputed Trump’s claims to which Putin could trust.
At a press conference, Starmer rejected the suggestion that the United States was no longer a reliable ally.
“There are not two countries as closely aligned as our two countries and our defense, our security and our information are intertwined in a way that two other countries are, so it is an important and reliable ally,” he said.
Starmer does not trust Putin
Starmer told the BBC before the summit that he did not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that he trusted Trump.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was sorry for what had happened with Zelenskyy in Washington. Meloni is both a solid supporter of Ukraine and – as a leader of a far -right party – she is a natural ally of Trump. She was the only European leader to attend her inauguration.
She said that journalists said after the meeting that Europe should remain focused on its common goals and that “dividing the West would be disastrous for everyone”.
“We have to work to strengthen our unity, and I think Italy can play a role, not only in its own interest, but in everyone,” she said. “I don’t want to take into account any other scenario.”
Starmer organized the meeting in Lancaster House, a 200 -year -old manor near the Buckingham Palace, following his charming offensive with Macron to persuade Trump to put Ukraine at the negotiation center and tilt his allegiances to Europe.
Managers of Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania were at the top. The Turkish Foreign Minister, the NATO Secretary General and the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council were also present.
Transform Ukraine into a “steel porcupine”
Starmer used radical terms to describe the upcoming challenge, saying that Europe was at the crossroads of its history and had to get up to meet “once in a moment of generation”.
The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen came out of the meeting and said that she would present a plan to “rearrange Europe” to strengthen the security of the block after a long period of underinvestment.
As for the future of Ukraine torn by the war, Von Der Leyen said he needed security guarantees.
“We have to put Ukraine in a position of strength, so that it has the means to strengthen and protect themselves,” said Von Der Leyen. “It essentially transforms Ukraine into a steel porcupine which is indigestible for potential invaders.”
Last week, Starmer undertook to increase military spending to 2.5% of the gross domestic product by 2027. Other European nations can follow the plunge.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Saturday that Europe is faced with a historical test and must take care of itself. He said European countries have to increase their weapons expenses to reach at least 3% of GDP.
“If we do not increase our efforts quickly enough and let the aggressor dictate his conditions, we will not end well,” he said.
Starmer is committed to providing more weapons to defend Ukraine, announcing that the United Kingdom will use 1.6 billion pounds ($ 2 billion) in export funding to provide 5,000 air defense missiles.
–The writers of the Associated Press Jill Lawless in London, Colleen Barry in Milan, Karel Janicek in Prague and Samuel Petrequin contributed.