(CLO) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that European leaders have agreed to draft a peace plan for Ukraine to send to the United States.
At a conference in London just two days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy broke with US President Donald Trump and cut short his visit to Washington, leaders from the European Union (EU) showed strong support for the Ukrainian president.
EU leaders agree they must spend more on defense to show Trump the continent can defend itself. And the head of the European Commission, with many EU countries struggling with already strained public finances, has suggested the bloc could relax rules limiting debt levels.
European leaders pose for a photo in solidarity during a summit in London, UK. Photo: X/Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Mr Starmer said the UK, Ukraine, France and a number of other countries would form a “coalition of the willing” and draw up a peace plan to present to Trump. He did not name the other countries, but said many others were ready to join.
Mr Zelenskyy said after the summit that European unity "is at an extremely high level, unprecedented for a long time... We are working together in Europe to find a basis for cooperation with the United States for real peace and guaranteed security".
Europe is trying to ensure Kiev is not excluded from any talks after a war of words between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office raised concerns that the United States could withhold support for Ukraine and impose a peace plan negotiated with Russia.
Some leaders have said they must increase defence spending – something that could help persuade Mr Trump to side with them. “After a long period of underinvestment, it is now extremely important to increase defence investment over a long period of time,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
The leaders of Ukraine, Britain and France talk on the sidelines of a conference in London. Photo: X/Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said leaders agreed that Europe needed to take on more responsibility and start shouldering the burden of "spending more on defence budgets within NATO".
He added that the leaders agreed that they must maintain close ties with the United States. Europe, which lacks the weapons and ammunition stocks that the United States has, hopes to convince Mr Trump that it can defend itself.
The Trump administration continued to criticize President Zelenskyy on Sunday. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said the United States needs a Ukrainian leader who is willing to make lasting peace with Russia, but it is unclear whether Zelenskyy is willing to do so.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Mr Trump's "common sense" approach and accused European countries of trying to prolong the conflict by supporting the Ukrainian president "at bayonets in the form of peacekeeping units".
Hoang Huy (according to Guardian, Reuters, CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chau-au-hop-tac-soan-thao-ke-hoach-hoa-binh-ukraine-de-gui-cho-my-post336816.html
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