UK Starmer to host Zelenskyy and EU leaders for talks on security guarantees for Ukraine
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer (Getty Images)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and more than a dozen other European leaders in London on March 2. They will discuss security guarantees that the continent can offer Kyiv in case of a ceasefire with Russia, informs Bloomberg.
The meeting will allow Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron to brief their European allies on their discussions in Washington this week with President Donald Trump. During those talks, they attempted to persuade him to commit to US military support if Moscow violated a potential peace agreement in the future.
According to the Prime Minister's office, Starmer has also invited leaders from Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkiye, Finland, Sweden, Czechia, and Romania to London.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President António Costa are also expected to attend.
Starmer’s office added that he will hold separate bilateral meetings with Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Europe's position and Trump's statements
European leaders want Trump to offer US aerial reconnaissance, surveillance, and air cover as a last resort to assist European peacekeeping forces in case they come under attack by Russian troops after a peace agreement is reached.
At a press conference with Starmer in Washington on February 27, Trump refused to provide such a guarantee. However, when pressed, he stated, "If they need help, I will always be with the British."
Ahead of the talks, a British official said that even some ambiguity from the US could serve as a deterrent, leaving Putin uncertain about what the US might do if he attacks European peacekeepers. However, both the US and Europe want both sides to commit first, which complicates negotiations, said the official, who requested anonymity.
Notably, a meeting between US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer took place in Washington on February 27.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington on February 28 to meet with Trump. He will be present at the signing of an agreement with the US to transfer 50% of Ukraine’s mineral resource extraction revenues into a special fund jointly managed by the US and Ukraine.
