Britain pledged military and financial support for Ukraine totaling about £4 billion on Sunday as Prime Minister Keir Starmer assembled European partners for a summit aimed at developing a peace framework following a tense encounter between Ukrainian and US leaders.
The support includes a £2.26 billion loan backed by frozen Russian assets and £1.6 billion in export finance for more than 5,000 air defense missiles, according to statements made at the 18-nation meeting in London.
“We cannot accept a weak deal which Russia can breach with ease,” Starmer said after the gathering at Lancaster House. “Any deal must be backed by strength.”
The British-led initiative follows Friday’s White House meeting where tensions flared between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump, with Trump criticizing Ukraine’s approach to the conflict.
Starmer outlined four priorities agreed at the summit: increasing military aid and economic pressure on Russia, ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty in peace talks, boosting defensive capabilities against future invasions, and forming what he called a “coalition of the willing” to guarantee long-term peace.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said European countries were “stepping up” to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to continue fighting.
Zelenskyy, who later met King Charles III at Sandringham, praised the “European unity” demonstrated at the summit.
Despite building European alternatives, Starmer emphasized continued need for American involvement. “Let me be clear, we agree with Trump on the urgent need for a durable peace. Now we need to deliver together,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a one-month truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” as an initial confidence-building measure, according to Le Figaro newspaper.
When asked about recent US-Ukraine tensions, Starmer said: “Nobody wanted to see what happened last Friday, but I do not accept that the US is an unreliable ally.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for urgent European military readiness while Starmer warned that conflict in Europe eventually affects British security.
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