British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the United States, a vital step for Washington to be able to offer security guarantees that Kyiv says are essential to deter Russia.
At a summit in London just two days after Volodymyr Zelenskyy clashed with US President Donald Trump and cut short a visit to Washington, European leaders offered a strong show of support to the Ukrainian president and promised to do more to help his nation.
European leaders agreed they must spend more on defence to show Trump the continent can protect itself, and the European Commission chief suggested the bloc could ease rules that limit debt levels.
Starmer, who welcomed a visibly shaken Zelenskyy on Saturday with a warm hug, said Britain, Ukraine, France and some other nations would form a “coalition of the willing” and draw up a peace plan to take to Trump.
“This is not a moment for more talk. It’s time to act. Time to step up and lead and to unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace,” Starmer said.
Leaders did not provide details of their plan. Before the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron told newspaper Le Figaro that the plan would involve a one-month ceasefire that would apply to air and sea attacks but not to ground combat.
European Summit | Majority of EU countries expected to rally behind Ukraine’s Zelenskyy:
European troops would be deployed if a more substantial peace agreement was reached, he said. It was not clear whether other nations had agreed to the terms.
Zelenskyy said after the meeting that he left London with “Europe’s clear support” and readiness to cooperate.
“There will be diplomacy for the sake of peace,” he said in his nightly video address. “And for the sake of us all being together – Ukraine, all of Europe and definitely, definitely America.”
Earlier, Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine would not cede any territory to Russia as part of a peace agreement and said he was still willing to sign a minerals deal with the United States.
Zelenskyy said he believed he could salvage his relationship with Trump after Friday’s shouting match, but that talks would have to take place behind closed doors.
“The format of what happened, I don’t think it brought something positive or additional to us as partners,” he said.
Europe is scrambling to ensure that Kyiv is not squeezed out of any talks after the Oval Office clash raised fears that the US could pull support for Ukraine and impose a peace plan negotiated with Russia.
Several European leaders said they must increase defence spending – something that could help bring Trump on side to offer a US security guarantee in the event of peace.
“After a long time of underinvestment, it is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, told reporters.
Europe needs to turn “Ukraine into a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders,” she said.
