Leaders attend the EU Summit on Ukraine on March 2, 2025. (Photo: EFE)

Leaders from 16 European countries, Canada, the European Union, NATO, and Turkey convened a high-level defense summit in London last Sunday to discuss security assistance for Ukraine and lay the groundwork for Europe’s future defense capabilities.

EU at "crossroads in history"

Concluding a series of multilateral and bilateral discussions in London on Sunday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the summit had reached a consensus on four key points. They agreed to maintain military aid for Ukraine, ensure Ukraine’s presence in all diplomatic negotiations, prevent any future attacks on Ukraine, and establish a “coalition of the willing” to protect Ukraine and ensure a durable peace there.

In the short term, the UK will provide Ukraine with an export credit package worth about 2 billion USD to enable Ukraine to purchase 5,000 new air defense missiles from Belfast, Northern Ireland. In the medium term, the UK, France, and other European nations have agreed to collaborate with Ukraine on a plan to end the conflict and deploy European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine to maintain any ceasefire that may be reached. The European nations hope to finalize their plan in 7-10 days through a series of new meetings. When completed, it will be sent to Washington.

Mr. Starmer said, “We agreed the leaders will meet again very soon to keep the pace behind these actions and to keep working towards the shared plan. We are at crossroads in history today. This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act, time to step up, and lead and to unite around a new plan for a just an enduring peace.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said the summit proposed a one-month partial ceasefire in Ukraine halting all air and naval operations targeting energy infrastructure. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, “This is the prerequisite for peace, as a ceasefire in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure would allow us to prove the good will of President Vladimir Putin if he commits to a truce. If he does, peace negotiations can begin. Our goal is a lasting and sustainable peace.”

Reacting to the outcomes of the London summit and the European countries’ proposals, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Europe has yet to prioritize peace and the EU’s plan risks prolonging hostilities in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Challenges to commitments

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks at the White House on Feb 27. (Photo: AFP)

Last week also saw visits by President Macron on February 24 and Prime Minister Starmer on February 27 to the US and a tense meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House on February 28.

Observers said positive signals from the London summit have helped to mitigate some of the fallout from the contentious US-Ukraine meeting and strengthen Europe’s role in shaping the conflict’s resolution, in which the EU does not want to be sidelined by direct negotiations between Washington and Moscow.

Bronwen Maddox, Director of the UK’s Chatham House think tank, said: “It's possible that the coalition of the willing can turn things around in terms of the dynamic of the peace talks. I think the show of a substantial commitment by Europe by a handful of self-selected European nations would do something. You must be a part of it. It's not just pleading to be given a seat at the table. It must be given a part of it because here is what it is going to offer.”

European leaders agreed they need to rearm Europe as the US begins to scale back its security commitments to Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe must swiftly increase its defense spending. The EC is set to propose lifting EU fiscal deficit restrictions and allow member states to boost their defense budgets to 3.0-3.5% of GDP—an initiative backed by President Macron. The proposal could be unveiled as early as the upcoming EU summit in Brussels on Friday.

Not all EU member states support the proposed plan. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán criticized the decisions made by European leaders in London, particularly to increase military aid to Ukraine, calling the decisions “mistaken and dangerous.” He warned that Hungary will block any EU efforts to expand military spending.

The establishment of a “coalition of the willing” faces challenges. Italy, Germany, and Poland have publicly said they will either refrain from participating or base their involvement on security assurances from the United States, which Europe has been unable to persuade the Trump administration to give.