London, UK – Leaders from around 15 European countries began arriving in London on Sunday for an informal summit on Ukraine, amid heightened tensions between the United States and Ukraine.
The first leader to arrive at Lancaster House in central London was French President Emmanuel Macron at 12:45 GMT, marking the start of the gathering.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also expected to join the meeting, which follows a recent tense exchange at the White House between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to present his plan for drafting a peace proposal in collaboration with France and Ukraine, which would later be presented to the US for consideration.
In an interview with the BBC, Starmer emphasized the need for European countries to form a “coalition of the willing” to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any peace agreement with Russia.
“We have to find a way that we can all work together because in the end we’ve had three years of bloody conflict now, we need to get to that lasting peace.”
However, Starmer has not ruled out the possibility of persuading Trump to agree to security guarantees that would offer Ukraine assurances that any peace deal would be fair and lasting.
Among the attendees are Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and leaders from Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, and Romania.
European CommissionPresident Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are also participating.
Starmer has previously consulted with Estonian President Alar Karis, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, who were not invited to the summit.
According to a UK government spokesperson, they agreed on the need for Europe to unite and push for urgent action to secure the best possible outcome for Ukraine, which is crucial for the future of European security.
Starmer also briefed the Baltic leaders on his recent discussions with Zelenskyy, Macron, and Trump, reiterating his commitment to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that guarantees its sovereignty.
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