Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain said Sunday that he would work with the leaders of Ukraine and France on a cease-fire plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, as the region reels from the Trump administration’s recent moves.
The comments came ahead of a summit in London on Sunday, where Mr. Starmer met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and other European leaders to discuss the war. The gathering took on greater urgency after Mr. Zelensky’s heated Oval Office meeting with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday raised fears the U.S. would try to strong-arm Ukraine’s president into making a peace deal on whatever terms the Americans dictated.
“We’re gathered here today because this is a once in a generation moment for the security of Europe, and we all need to step up,” Mr. Starmer told the assembled leaders as the summit opened, with Mr. Zelensky seated next to him. “Getting a good outcome for Ukraine is not just a matter of right and wrong, it’s vital for the security of every nation here and many others too.”
On Sunday morning, Mr. Starmer told the BBC that he, Mr. Zelensky and President Emmanuel Macron of France had agreed they “would work on a plan for stopping the fighting and then discuss that plan with the U.S.” Any peace agreement “is going to need a U.S. backstop,” Mr. Starmer added, saying that British and U.S. teams were discussing the idea.
The angry exchange in the Oval Office on Friday was the latest sign that Mr. Trump was pivoting American foreign policy away from traditional allies like Ukraine and Europe. It also illustrated the seriousness of his plans to quickly end the war in Ukraine, which could result in a deal that empowers Russia.
European leaders have lined up behind Ukraine and lauded its embattled president since the episode. On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration’s treatment of Mr. Zelensky, saying that the Ukrainian president had disrupted efforts toward a peace process with Russia.
Mr. Zelensky “found every opportunity to try to ‘Ukraine-splain’ on every issue,” Mr. Rubio told on ABC News, adding that he was “puzzled” by some of the criticisms of the meeting.
Here’s what else to know:
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British loan: Britain on Saturday announced a nearly $3 billion loan to Ukraine aimed at bolstering the war-torn country’s military capability. It will be paid back using profits generated on sanctioned Russian sovereign assets, and the first tranche of funding is expected to be disbursed to Ukraine next week, Britain’s Treasury said.
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Judge’s order: A federal judge in Washington on Saturday blocked the Trump administration from ousting the top official at a federal watchdog agency, saying that its efforts to do so were unlawful. The judge’s order will allow the official, Hampton Dellinger, to remain the head of the Office of Special Counsel, which protects federal whistle-blowers. Read more ›
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More troops on the border: The Pentagon is sending about 3,000 additional troops to the southwestern border, rushing to comply with Mr. Trump’s order to increase the military’s role in stemming the flow of migrants into the United States. The reinforcements announced on Saturday would bring the total number of active-duty troops on the border to about 9,000, Defense Department officials said. Read more ›
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Park protests: Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday at national parks from California to Maine to protest the Trump administration’s firing of at least 1,000 National Park Service employees last month.
