European leaders will gather in London on Sunday to forge a common position on ending the war in Ukraine, before the country’s premier heads off to meet the King.
While Donald Trump’s America is the driving force behind brokering a peace with Russia, Sir Keir Starmer wants Europe to be ready to lead peacekeeping efforts should a deal be struck.
At Lancaster House, a mansion near Buckingham Palace, the Prime Minister is expected to urge the 18 countries in attendance to follow the UK in answering the US’s calls to boost defence spending.
Sir Keir pledged this week to raise the UK’s defence spending to 2.5% of its economic output by 2027.
The summit comes after several days in which the foundations of the transatlantic Nato alliance have been shaken.
A clash between Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was broadcast around the world on Friday, in which the US President claimed his counterpart was “gambling with world war three”.
It resulted in Ukraine’s president being kicked out of the White House, and a deal to exchange mineral rights for further US military support was placed on ice.
Reports in the US media suggested Mr Trump was even considering halting all aid to Kyiv after the meeting, in which he and his vice president, JD Vance, engaged in heated exchanges with Mr Zelensky.
European leaders soon rallied in a show of solidarity with Ukraine, while Sir Keir tried to keep the peace and spoke to both presidents over the phone.
The Prime Minister then welcomed Mr Zelensky to Downing Street on Saturday, in a meeting described as “meaningful and warm” by the Ukrainian leader.
The two men embraced as they met, and again later as they parted, and Sir Keir took the unusual step of walking Mr Zelensky to his car, instead of waving him goodbye from the front step of No 10.
Ahead of Sunday’s gathering, Chancellor Rachel Reeves meanwhile signed a loan agreement worth £2.26 billion with her Ukrainian counterpart, to pay for further military support and the rebuilding of Ukraine in future.
The UK hopes to recoup the costs from frozen Russian assets locked in bank accounts across Europe.
Mr Zelensky is expected to meet the King at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Sunday, after attending the summit.
The embattled Ukrainian leader meets Charles days after Mr Trump was offered an unprecedented second state visit to the UK as part of a charm offensive aimed at winning the US president’s support.
Sir Keir spoke to Mr Trump on Sunday, for the second evening in a row, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron, as he seeks to be a bridge across the Atlantic and smooth out the ongoing division between Western allies.
In other developments:
– Mark Rutte, Nato secretary general, told the BBC he urged Mr Zelensky to repair his relationship with the US president in a Friday-night phone call, as the alliance’s members “need to stick together” against Russia.
– Mr Zelensky described Mr Trump’s support for Ukraine as “crucial”, in a sign he was willing to mend the relationship with the US.
– Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch warned in a Telegraph newspaper article that America’s commitment to Europe “cannot now be taken for granted”, after urging Sir Keir to push for “concrete” pledges during the summit.
– The Liberal Democrats called for Sir Keir to restore the size of the British Army to 82,000 troops, in step with the commitment to boost defence spending by 2027.
