UK’s Starmer tries to restore hope for Ukraine peace at summit

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer aims to rekindle optimism for peace in Ukraine during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other Western leaders on Sunday, following a contentious exchange between the Ukrainian president and U.S. President Donald Trump two days prior.

After the intense confrontation, in which Trump threatened to withdraw support for Ukraine, accusing Zelenskiy of ingratitude towards U.S. assistance, the Ukrainian leader traveled from Washington to London on Saturday, where he received a warm embrace from Starmer.

On Sunday, Starmer indicated that a series of urgent discussions over the weekend with Trump, Zelenskiy, and French President Emmanuel Macron had reinforced the necessity for a “coalition of the willing” in Europe to swiftly devise a peace plan to present to the United States. He emphasized that Europe must act more decisively to demonstrate its capability for self-defense, clarifying that his remarks were not criticisms of other nations but rather a call for increased contributions, similar to those made by Britain and France in providing peacekeeping forces.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has significantly altered U.S. policy regarding the ongoing conflict, raising uncertainties about military and political support for Ukraine and Europe, while also easing Moscow’s isolation. Starmer described the exchange between Zelenskiy and Trump in the Oval Office as uncomfortable but expressed his eagerness to facilitate dialogue between Europe and the United States.

In contrast, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commended Trump’s “common sense” approach, accusing European nations of attempting to prolong the conflict by supporting Zelenskiy “with their bayonets in the form of peacekeeping units.”