London summit agrees key measures for Ukraine: Europe must do the heavy lifting
World leaders meeting in London have agreed four key measures to support Ukraine, with UK prime minister Keir Starmer stressing that Europe must do the heavy lifting, while underlining the need for continued US support.
The summit brought together leaders from Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, the Czech Republic and Sweden, as well as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Also present were European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president António Costa, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte and Turkish Foreign minister Hakan Fidan.
The leaders agreed to maintain military aid to Ukraine, increase economic pressure on Russia and ensure that any future peace deal guarantees Ukraine's sovereignty and security.
Starmer stressed the need for Europe to deter further Russian aggression and pledged UK support for a "coalition of the willing" to defend a peace deal, including "troops on the ground and planes in the air".
The UK will provide Ukraine with 1.9 billion euros in export finance to procure more than 5,000 anti-aircraft missiles, boosting Ukrainian defence. Rutte confirmed that several European countries were also prepared to increase defence spending, with formal announcements expected soon.
The participants agreed to meet again soon to maintain momentum. Describing the situation as a "historic crossroads", Starmer insisted that now is the time to act. While Russia must be included in any final peace deal, he warned that Moscow must not dictate the security guarantees offered to Ukraine.
© PHOTO AFP
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