EU Defence Summit in London: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London on March 1, 2025, to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The meeting took place ahead of a major summit of European leaders the next day. The summit was meant to focus on finding peace in Ukraine, but it was overshadowed by a recent incident at the White House. During a meeting with US President Donald Trump, Zelensky faced harsh criticism for not showing enough gratitude for US support. This has put more pressure on European leaders to defend Ukraine and strengthen Europe’s security.
Peter Ricketts, a former British national security adviser, said, “There’s a real problem for European leaders to pick up the pieces and try and move forward. It’s going to be a damage limitation exercise. It’s going to have to be an exercise in where do we go from here?”
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The summit was held at Lancaster House, a historic building near Buckingham Palace. According to France24, it followed a week of diplomatic efforts to engage with Trump and push Ukraine to the center of peace talks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who hosted the event, said he was determined to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We have an opportunity to come together to ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine that secures their sovereignty and security,” Starmer said. “Now is the time for us to unite in order to guarantee the best outcome for Ukraine, protect European security, and secure our collective future.”
Leaders from more than a dozen countries attended the summit, including France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Romania. The Turkish foreign minister, NATO’s secretary-general, and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council were also present.
Zelensky received strong support from European leaders after the White House incident, which was unusual because it involved a public criticism of an ally. When Zelensky arrived in London, Starmer greeted him warmly and said, “As you heard from the cheers on the street outside, you have full backing across the United Kingdom. We stand with you, with Ukraine, for as long as it may take.”
Europe has been worried since Trump started direct peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been isolated by most Western leaders since invading Ukraine three years ago. The situation became more troubling when Trump called Zelensky a dictator and falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war. Recent meetings with Trump had given some hope, but the White House incident changed that.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and Starmer had both visited the White House earlier in the week to push for peace in Ukraine. The meetings were friendly, and Trump even softened his tone on Ukraine, though he did not promise US security guarantees and said Europe would need to provide peacekeeping troops. However, just hours after Starmer returned from Washington, tensions flared again when US Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelensky for questioning Trump’s trust in Putin.
Rachel Ellehuus, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute, said, “Starmer did an impressive job of asserting Europe’s agency in the war on Ukraine and conveying to President Trump that Europe is willing and able to take a leading role in implementing any credible peace deal. Unfortunately, Friday’s White House meeting was a major step backward.”
Ellehuus added that Ukraine can no longer rely on US military or political support after Trump declared himself neutral in negotiations. She suggested that Europe could use around 200 billion euros from seized Russian assets to help fund Ukraine’s defence. “The immediate goal of the meetings in London must be to keep Ukraine in the fight so it can negotiate from a maximum position of strength,” she said.
Starmer has promised to increase UK military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, and other European countries may follow suit. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Europe faces a historic test and must take care of itself. “If we don’t increase our effort fast enough and let the aggressor dictate its conditions, we won’t end up well,” he said. He called for European countries to spend at least 3% of GDP on defence.
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Macron also emphasized the need for Europe to become more independent and united. “We should have woken up earlier,” he said. “I’ve been saying for years that we need a more sovereign, more united, more independent Europe.” He added that it is reasonable for the US to focus more on China and Asia, but Europe must step up its own defence efforts.
