British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday that Europe must take a leading role in the future defense of Ukraine but cautioned that the efforts must have the “strong backing” of the United States.
Following a summit with European, Turkish and Canadian officials, Mr. Starmer announced a deal with Ukraine worth about $2 billion that will help the country purchase 5,000 air defense missiles manufactured in Belfast.
Sunday’s deal came on the heels of a U.K. loan to Ukraine of about $2.7 billion signed a day earlier that provides additional military aid.
The loan will come from the profits of frozen Russian assets in the U.K. rather than the British taxpayer, Mr. Starmer announced.
“This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure now and strengthening Ukraine in securing the peace when it comes because we have to learn from the mistakes of the past,” he said.
Mr. Starmer said Ukraine and its Western allies can’t accept a deal like the Minsk agreements, which failed to end the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region between Kyiv and armed separatist groups allied with Russia.
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“Any deal must be backed by strength and every nation must contribute to it in the best way that they can,” he said. “All taking responsibility to act and all stepping up their own share of the burden.”
Sunday’s summit came two days after a public row in the White House between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy that threatens further U.S. support for Kyiv.
“Nobody wanted to see what happened last Friday, but I do not accept that the U.S. is an unreliable ally. The U.S. has been a reliable ally to the U.K. for many, many decades and continues to be,” Mr. Starmer said. “There are no two countries as closely aligned as ours. Our defense, our security and our intelligence is intertwined in a way no two other countries are.”
On Sunday, Mr. Starmer announced the creation of a “Coalition of the Willing” to keep military aid flowing to Ukraine during the fighting and to help it prepare for what would come after a peace deal with Russia.
“Not every nation will feel able to contribute but that can’t mean that we sit back. Instead, those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency,” he said. “The U.K. is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air. Europe must do the heavy lifting.”
Mr. Starmer agrees with President Trump’s call for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and said the “Coalition of the Willing” can make that dream a reality.
“We are at a crossroads in history today [but] this is not a moment for more talk,” he said. “It’s time to step up and lead and to unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.