European leaders meet in London on Sunday to consolidate the support of “securing a just and sustainable peace” in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer while most of the European rallies behind kyiv after the public conflict of Zelenskyy with US President Donald Trump.
Starmer’s office said he would meet Zelenskyy in London on Saturday before a broader summit of European leaders on Sunday, which, according to Downing Street, will focus on support for “just and sustainable security” in Ukraine.
Support in the United States for Ukraine is in doubt after a meeting of the White House between Zelenskyy and Trump on Friday in a cries match.
The Sunday summit should also meet the need for Europe to increase defense cooperation, in fears of knowing whether the United States will continue to support NATO.
French president Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to “open the discussion” on a possible future European nuclear deterrence after a request for Friedrich Merz, who should be the next German Chancellor.
Merz underlined the need for the continent to move quickly to “reach independence” of the United States on defense issues.
Milena Veselinovic of Al Jazeera, postponing from London, said that the summit would take “even more increased importance” after the acrimonious meeting on Friday during which Trump accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful”.
“European leaders are now facing a real perspective that the United States no longer supports Ukraine withdraw militarily or perhaps withdraw part of this support,” she said.
“European leaders really need to see if they can go to the plate and if they can defend Ukraine by themselves – something that many analysts believe to be a very big step and a big challenge for Europe.”
Trump-Zelenskyy Row
During the Oval Office dispute before us and the international media, Trump and Vice-President JD Vance spoke angry with Zelenskyy, accusing him of not being “grateful” and refusing to accept their proposed peace conditions.
“You don’t have the cards at the moment,” said Trump. “You are going to conclude an agreement, or we got out, and if we got out, you are fighting, and I don’t think it will be pretty.”
Most European leaders were amazed by the altercation on Friday and rushed to the defense of Zelenskyy.
The leaders of the European Union Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa assured Zelenskyy that he was “never alone”.
“Be strong, be courageous, be fearless,” wrote the European Commission and the presidents of the European Council in a joint declaration, adding: “We will continue to work with you for a just and lasting peace.”
Macron said Russia is “the aggressor” in the Ukraine war and that the Ukrainians are the “assaulted people”.
“We were completely fair to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and continue to do so,” he said.
Merz said: “We must never confuse the attacker and the victim in this terrible war.” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said: “Dutch support in Ukraine remains unconverted, especially now.” And Starmer promised “unshakable support” to Ukraine.
While most of the European leaders seemed to line up on the side of Zelenskyy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Trump. “Strong men make peace, weak men wage war. Today, the president @realdonaldtrump was courageously for peace, ”he wrote on X.
Trump amazed a lot in Europe when he contacted Putin last month to seek an agreement on Ukraine, which Moscow invaded three years ago.
