UK's Starmer tries to revive hope for Ukraine peace at summit

2/3/2025 11:44

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will try to revive hope for peace in Ukraine at a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other Western leaders on Sunday, two days after the Ukrainian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump clashed in Washington.



After a heated row with Trump, who threatened to stop support for Ukraine after accusing Zelenskiy of being ungrateful for U.S. aid, the Ukrainian leader flew to London on Saturday to be greeted on Downing Street with a long, warm hug from Starmer.



Zelenskiy will receive a pledge of support from Starmer and other European leaders, who face the stark question of whether they can take over the lead in providing Kyiv with weapons and finance before any peace talks begin.



Lacking the weaponry and depth of ammunition stocks of the United States, European leaders have so far offered expressions of support after the Zelenskiy row, with Germany calling for the release of 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) for Ukraine.



On Sunday, Starmer will hope they will offer more concrete means to support Ukraine and try to revive a possible peace deal with Russia by convincing Trump Europe can step up to defend itself. Some leaders might also encourage Zelenskiy to go back into talks with the U.S. leader.