Europe at ‘crossroads in history’ as leaders vow to rearm in face of Russia threat

British Prime Minister sets out new plan for continental security after crucial London meeting with 16 leaders

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, front row, second left, hosts European leaders for a summit on Ukraine in London. Getty Images

Europe stands at “a crossroads in history” and the continent must “step up” its defence spending to tackle the Russian threat, Keir Starmer has said following a crucial meeting of leaders in London.

After an intense day of talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with 16 other European leaders, Britain’s Prime Minister outlined a new plan to keep military aid flowing to Ukraine while seeking “lasting peace” with Russia. He also vowed Britain would “put boots on the ground and planes in the air” to enforce any deal, as well as boosting Ukraine’s defence capabilities to deter any future aggression from Russia.

With US support for Nato and Ukraine wavering, Mr Starmer is positioning Britain and Europe as the chief defenders of western democracy. The Prime Minister, whose stature as an international statesman has grown in the past week, has also become a vital link in attempting to keep Europe and the US united.

He said it was time for Europe to take the lead in defending its own territory. “This is not a moment for more talk”, he said, speaking at Lancaster House. “It's time to act. Time to step up and lead and to unite the plan for a just and enduring peace.”

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Diplomatic agility

After Friday’s disastrous White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mr Starmer quickly spoke to both of them, urging reconciliation. Mr Starmer put his diplomatic agility to use in a call with Mr Trump on Friday and Mr Zelenskyy the following day to help patch things up after the Oval Office debacle.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Starmer said Mr Trump wanted a “lasting peace”, under plans understood to include US military backing alongside Russian concessions. The UK Prime Minister said he was working with France in an attempt to bring about a truce in Ukraine. “We agreed that we would work to stop the fighting and discussed that plan with the United States, and that's a step forward from where we were on Friday,” he said.

The scenes in the Oval Office, during which the leaders argued over one another in a meeting that was being televised live, should not be repeated, he added. Mr Starmer also reaffirmed that Mr Trump wanted to take the UK-US relationship “from strength to strength”.

With the US President consistently criticising European powers for failing to spend enough on defence, Mr Starmer agreed that the continent’s leaders “have to do more”, a position reinforced by his decision on Tuesday to raise Britain's military spending by $17 billion, funded by slashing the overseas aid budget.

Increase defence cash

The European leaders met at Lancaster House in London, discussing security guarantees for Ukraine, while also preparing for the possible withdrawal of US military aid. Mr Starmer, who also promised Ukraine an additional 5,000 air defence missiles, said there must be “US backstop” military backing in any deal, “because I don't think it would be a guarantee without it”.

“Components of a lasting peace are a strong Ukraine to fight on if necessary, to be in a position of strength,” he warned. “I wouldn't trust [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, which is why I want a security guarantee. I wouldn't trust him not to come again because he's proven that he will come again.” He said “the worst of all outcomes” would be a temporary pause that Russia could use to restock its depleted armed forces to attack again.

Trump says Zelenskyy 'overplayed his hand' in White House confrontation

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Mr Starmer urged European leaders to focus on increasing defence spending and to calm the condemnatory rhetoric towards Washington, while achieving a peace deal aimed at deterring future Russian aggression. “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,” he said.

King’s support

Mr Starmer’s first bilateral meeting on Sunday was with Giorgia Meloni, the right-wing Italian Prime Minister, who has a good relationship with Mr Trump. Mark Rutte, Nato’s Secretary General, said he had asked Mr Zelenskyy to restore his relationship with Mr Trump.

Mr Rutte promised the Nato aid would ensure that “Ukraine stays in the fight” with more European countries set to announce that they would “ramp up” defence spending. “This is important,” he added. “We need more of a fair balance with the US.”

Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, also argued that Ukraine must have the means to “fortify and protect” itself but that this would also require a “surge” in the continent’s defence spending. “It’s now of utmost importance we increase spending”, she added. “To prepare for the worst.”

Mr Starmer also hosted Mr Zelenskyy at No 10 Downing Street on Saturday, the two embracing in front of the cameras, and arranged for an audience with King Charles III and the Ukrainian leader on Sunday. Mr Zelenskyy said US security guarantees were the only way to achieve “real peace”, and that “a ceasefire won’t work with Putin. He has broken ceasefires 25 times over the last 10 years”.

The British leader reaffirmed his view that there could be no negotiations without Ukraine's involvement and that Britain was willing to support the country’s future security with troops on the ground.

Russia under pressure

The summit was attended by the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Mr Rutte, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa were also present.

Mr Putin’s hand is weakened after indicating he will agree to a deal to stop Russia shedding vast amounts of money, lives and military hardware, a Washington think tank has suggested. The Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine, assisted by US weapons, was “inflicting unsustainable losses on Russian forces while holding them to marginal gains”.

That would give Washington “great leverage in peace negotiations” but suspending US military aid would fuel Mr Putin’s “conviction that he can achieve total victory through war”.