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The US has sent nearly $70 billion in military aid – dwarfing contributions from any of Kyiv’s other allies – since the start of the war. But European nations have been steadily stepping up their support, with the EU, Britain and Norway combined giving Ukraine about $25 billion in military aid last year – more than the US sent.
Starmer said “a number” of European countries had indicated at the summit they would be willing to join a “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine, but said it would be up to them to outline their contributions in the future.
He said the key to any deal would need to keep military aid flowing into Ukraine while the war was ongoing, increase economic pressure on Russia and ensure Ukraine was at the table for any peace talks.
Starmer was cautious not to call out Trump’s berating of Zelensky but said simply that “nobody wants to see that”. He added that Zelensky was “rightly concerned” that any proposed peace deal “has to hold”.
King Charles III hosts Zelensky at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Credit: Getty Images
“I do not accept that the US is an unreliable ally, there are no two countries as closely aligned as our two countries,” he said, adding that he wanted to achieve a “lasting peace” in Ukraine, based on its military being fortified, a European peace-keeping force on the ground and US security guarantees to deter Russia from trying to invade again.
He was unable to say that Trump had agreed to US security guarantees for any peace deal, but said discussions were ongoing. Leaders from Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania were at the summit. The discussion also included Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Trudeau, who will step down in coming weeks, said all countries had an important role to play, adding that Canada has been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine for more than a decade, particularly in training defence forces.
When asked about Canada’s contribution to the so-called “coalition of the willing”, Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s commitment.
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“We’re going to continue to be there to support Ukraine as necessary with whatever it takes for as long as it takes,” he said, highlighting that Ukraine’s fight is not only for its territories but for the “very principles and values” that sustain democracies worldwide.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe had to turn Ukraine into a “steel porcupine” that was “indigestible” to invaders.
“We all have understood that after a long time of under-investment, it is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time,” she said.
“We need in the geostrategic environment in which we live to prepare for the worst.”
Macron has also suggested he was open to discussing extending the French nuclear umbrella over Europe by sending nuclear-armed fighter jets to Germany as part of a possible deal that would dramatically change the security architecture of the continent.
“We have a shield, they don’t. And they can no longer depend on the American nuclear deterrent. We need a strategic dialogue with those who don’t have it, and that would make France stronger,” Macron said in an interview with several French newspapers this weekend.
In the US, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said Russia would have to make concessions on Ukraine’s security in exchange for compromises on territory in any deal to end its war with Ukraine.
“This war needs to end, and that’s going to take concessions on territory. That’s going to take Russian concessions on security guarantees,” Waltz told CNN.
Olaf Scholz, who attended the summit as caretaker chancellor after losing elections last month, has repeatedly voiced his opposition to peacekeeping troops. He reiterated this stance on February 17 after the Munich Security Conference, telling Macron the question was “completely premature”.
Starmer insisted he was not criticising any country that declined to join right now – but said he could not wait for them.
“I’m not criticising anyone, but rather than move at the pace of every single country in Europe, which would be a slow pace, I do think we’ve got to get to a coalition of the willing now and move this forward,” he said before the meeting.
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