Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (centre) and French President Emmanuel Macron in London on Sunday: Justin Tallis
Europe took the initiative after the diplomatic tensions between Ukraine and the United States. A meeting of 18 European leaders took place in London to discuss ways to strengthen support for Kyiv and create a “coalition of the willing” to implement a plan to end the war with Russia. This was reported by the NY Times
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that London and Paris are in talks with a number of countries about the possible deployment of troops in Ukraine if a ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow is reached. He also announced that the UK would provide Ukraine with £1.6bn in export financing for the purchase of more than 5,000 anti-aircraft missiles.
The meeting in London was a response to Zelenskyy’s unsuccessful visit to Washington, which caused a wave of concern in Europe. After a tense meeting between the Ukrainian president and Donald Trump, during which no security guarantees were provided for Kyiv, fears have grown that the US could force Ukraine to sign a peace deal on terms favourable to the Kremlin.
“We are at a historic crossroads. Europe must bear the brunt of the burden, but for this process to succeed, we need strong US support,” said Keir Starmer.
Against the backdrop of these events, other disturbing news emerged in the United States: Defence Secretary Pete Hagel ordered the US Cyber Command to cease all offensive operations against Russia.
The main question is whether Europe will be able to compensate for a potential reversal of US policy towards Ukraine.
