By Jacob Burg of the Epoch Times
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on March 2 that Britain, France, and Ukraine are working on a cease-fire plan to present to the United States as he prepares to host European leaders in discussions to end the Russia–Ukraine war.
Starmer’s Sunday summit of leaders stands in contrast to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting in the White House on Friday, during which U.S. President Donald Trump scolded him for not being ready for peace and not being grateful for America’s support in his nation’s defense against Russia’s three-year-long invasion.
Starmer said he’s working on restoring discussions of peace and is using Friday’s breakdown as an opportunity to re-engage with Trump, Zelenskyy, and French President Emmanuel Macron rather than “ramp up the rhetoric.”
“We’ve now agreed that the United Kingdom, along with France and possibly one or two others, will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, and then we’ll discuss that plan with the United States,” Starmer told the BBC, adding that he and Macron have both spoken to Trump since the latter’s meeting with Zelenskyy.
At Sunday’s summit, European leaders will look toward shoring up the continents’ defenses in defending Ukraine, including discussions to create a European military force to send to the war-torn country to cap a cease-fire. Starmer suggested the military force would include a “coalition of the willing.”
While he does not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, Starmer said he trusts Trump.
“Do I believe Donald Trump when he says he wants lasting peace? The answer to that is yes,” he said.
Starmer added that “intense discussions” to obtain a security guarantee from the United States are one of the three components of lasting peace.
“If there is to be a deal, if there is to be a stopping of the fighting, then that agreement has to be defended, because the worst of all outcomes is that there is a temporary pause, and then Putin comes again,” Starmer said. “That has happened in the past. I think it is a real risk, and that is why we must ensure that if there’s a deal, it is a lasting deal, not a temporary pause.”
The summit, which will be held at Lancaster House—a 200-year-old mansion near Buckingham Palace—will also include leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Romania.
Other attendees include the Turkish foreign minister, NATO secretary-general, and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council.
Zelenskyy received support from European leaders after Friday’s contentious meeting at the White House in which a rare earths deal was abandoned and Trump told Zelenskyy to come back when he was ready for peace.
After the Ukrainian president arrived in Britain on Saturday, Starmer embraced him.
“As you heard from the cheers on the street outside, you have full backing across the United Kingdom,” Starmer said. “We stand with you, with Ukraine, for as long as it may take.”
Starmer also pledged to boost military spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. Other European nations might follow suit.
Continue reading at the Epoch Times
