Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to wrestle control of negotiations over the Russia-Ukraine war away from the US on Sunday, hosting dozens of European leaders and outlining a pathway towards peace on a pivotal day of diplomacy in London.
Starmer hosted a summit in London’s ornate Lancaster House, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and an ensemble of European leaders in attendance, at a moment of intense anxiety in the conflict.
In attendance were French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, Finland president Alexander Stubb, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre.
Leaders are hoping to revive the prospects of an acceptable peace deal after US President Donald Trump chastised Zelensky in the Oval Office, appalling the West and delighting Moscow in the process.
Starmer told the BBC that Britain would work with France, and “possibly one or two others,” on crafting a plan to stop the fighting in Ukraine, and then “discuss that plan with the United States.”
The process seems destined to rival the negotiation process that Trump’s administration opened with Russia last month, and suggests a tacit acceptance that bringing Trump and Zelensky to the negotiating table together could result in tensions combusting once more.
Zelensky enjoyed a heartfelt welcome from Starmer on Saturday that could not be more different than the reception he endured at the White House. King Charles has also accepted an invitation to meet Zelensky on Sunday.
Credit: cnn.com
