European leaders meet in London to bolster Ukraine and tackle safety issues amid US coverage shifts beneath Trump.
Greater than a dozen European leaders will collect in London for discussions geared toward strengthening safety cooperation and reaffirming help for Ukraine.
The assembly on Sunday follows a dramatic rift on the White Home between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the host, Donald Trump, on Friday.
European leaders are set to prioritise army help and elevated financial stress on Russia to strengthen Ukraine’s place. Discussions may even deal with securing an enduring peace deal, guaranteeing Ukraine can deter future Russian aggression, and planning sturdy safety ensures.
The summit will see representatives from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Turkiye, NATO and the European Union.
It comes earlier than a summit in Brussels, scheduled to happen on Thursday, the place the European Fee will announce a defence bundle for Europe, together with Ukraine.
The bundle goals to bolster Ukraine’s defences and reinforce regional safety, emphasising the necessity for a powerful, lasting deal to safeguard Kyiv’s sovereignty. Ukraine’s European allies are looking for to handle rising issues over Trump’s strategy to negotiations with Russia, which many worry may undermine Kyiv’s place.
Zelenskyy arrived in London on Saturday and was greeted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The 2 leaders shared a visual embrace and introduced a $2.84bn mortgage settlement to bolster Ukraine’s defence capabilities, funded by income from frozen Russian belongings.
Tensions with Washington
Zelenskyy’s go to to London adopted a tense encounter on the White Home, the place Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticised him for rejecting proposed truce phrases and accused him of ingratitude. Trump additionally warned that Zelenskyy’s stance risked escalating the battle into a world conflict.
Regardless of the heated trade, Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine stays open to dialogue with the US.
“Regardless of the powerful discussions, we stay strategic companions,” he wrote on X after his assembly. “However honesty and directness are important to understanding our shared objectives.”
European issues
Trump’s current overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin have alarmed Kyiv and its European allies. The US president has positioned himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelenskyy, sidelining conventional diplomatic channels and prioritising rapprochement with Moscow.
Final week, Trump claimed “vital progress” had been made in the direction of a peace deal in Ukraine, although particulars stay unclear.
However because the Ukrainian chief left the White Home, Trump took to social media to say that Zelenskyy was not “prepared for peace if America is concerned”.
Following the spat, European leaders had been fast to supply their help for the beleaguered Ukrainian chief.
Friedrich Merz, anticipated to be Germany’s subsequent chancellor, addressed Zelenskyy on X, stating: “We stand with Ukraine in good and in testing instances. We must not ever confuse aggressor and sufferer on this horrible conflict.”
Germany’s Overseas Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Trump of “reversing the roles of sufferer and aggressor” within the battle, warning that his actions marked the start of a “new age of infamy”.
French President Emmanuel Macron advised reporters that Russia is the “aggressor” within the Ukraine conflict and Ukrainians are the “aggressed folks”.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X: “Expensive Ukrainian mates, you aren’t alone.”