European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in London on Sunday, pledging to support his nation in its fight against Russia's invasion financially and with troops after his hostile reception at the White House on Friday. "We are doubling down" on aid for Ukraine, said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the host, after the summit. Starmer said the idea is to sufficiently arm Ukraine that it can enter peace talks from a position of strength, the Washington Post reports. Addressing the 18 leaders gathered, Starmer stressed the urgency of the situation.
"This is a once-in-a-generation moment for the security of Europe, and we all need to step up," he said, per the New York Times. "Getting a good outcome for Ukraine is not just a matter of right and wrong; it's vital for the security of every nation here, and many others, too." Britain set an example Saturday by announcing a nearly $3 billion loan to Ukraine for military spending. In addition, France and the UK developed a plan for a one-month truce in Ukraine. Starmer said the European leaders agreed to try to form a coalition of nations willing to deploy troops in the event of a ceasefire. Britain, he said, is willing to put "boots on the ground and planes in the air."
Starmer said he and French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom met with President Trump last week, are trying to repair US-Ukraine relations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the London summit, which was planned before Friday, was intended to demonstrate Europe's commitment to Ukraine. Russian leaders denounced the gathering in real time, per DW. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called the London summit "a shameful sight" in a post on X, a "coven ... to swear allegiance to the Nazi nobodies in Kyiv." (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)