After a tumultuous meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump in the Oval Office, Keir Starmer recently hosted a leader’s summit to intensify diplomatic efforts of pursuing peace in Ukraine.
Held in the Lancaster House in London, the pivotal summit gathered leaders from Germany, Canada, the Czech Republic, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania, and Turkey. They were joined by the NATO General Secretary, the president of the European Council, and the president of the European Commission.
In the media press conference following the summit, Starmer outlined his four-point plan on how European leaders aim to bring the conflict in Ukraine to an end. Such a peace deal must prevent Russia from pursuing an illegal war in Ukraine again, as Starmer warned that “we have to learn from the mistakes of the past”.
“The central message of Starmer’s speech at the summit demonstrated the necessity of European unity“
Firstly, the four-point plan outlines how military aid must continue to flow into Ukraine, whilst increasing economic pressure on Russia.
Secondly, a peace deal must ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty, and that Ukraine must be present at the table.
Thirdly, a peace deal must bolster Ukraine’s defensive capabilities to prevent any invasion from happening in the future.
Finally, it was agreed that a “coalition of the willing” must develop amongst European leaders to do the “heavy lifting” required in pursuing peace.
To this final point, Starmer added that willing nations within the coalition would show commitment by putting “boots on the ground and planes in the air”. Furthermore, Starmer pledged £2.2bn to provide more military aid to Ukraine, clarifying that this would not come from the British taxpayers but from profits from Russian frozen assets. £1.6bn would be provided to supply more than 5000 missiles to Ukraine, further creating jobs in the defence sector.
The central message of Starmer’s speech at the summit demonstrated the necessity of European unity in the face of Trump’s recent clash with Zelenskyy and the decision to cut US aid to Ukraine.
“Starmer clarifies that no peace deal can come to fruition without US support.”
“It is time to act”, Starmer stresses, emphasising the need for urgent action through the strengthening of European defence to show the US its capabilities in supporting a post-war Ukraine.
However, whilst it is essential that European leaders step up in adopting this role, Starmer clarifies that no peace deal can come to fruition without US support.
In terms of military capabilities, it is unlikely that Europe will be able to gather enough troops on the ground to defend Ukraine. Moreover, air power is crucial in providing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) to prevent future Russian intrusions, and these forces are entirely dependent on major investment from Washington. Nonetheless, Trump is unwilling to send US troops to Ukraine, nor invest in what could be an unstable ceasefire line.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk echoes the concerns of other leaders that transatlantic relations have entered a ‘new stage’, demanding that Europe carve out its own defence as independently as possible.
Yet, all eyes are on Trump to determine how far European efforts can truly go.
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