European leaders form “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine without US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s fiasco-ending US visit prompted European countries to gather in London to continue support for Kyiv.

The summit, hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, focused on forming a “coalition of the willing” without US involvement. EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas stated that “the free world needs a new leader” and Europeans must take up this challenge.

Sunday’s London summit, bringing together leaders from 18 countries including France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Canada, and Turkey, appears to have made progress for the first time in weeks.

Starmer announced that several countries expressed willingness to join a “coalition of the willing” to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

Britain and France will lead efforts with Ukraine to prepare a peace plan to present to US President Donald Trump.

Britain willing to deploy troops; Meloni wants to bridge US-Europe divide

In his post-talks statement to journalists, Starmer signaled potential troop deployment to Ukraine, saying, “The United Kingdom is ready to support this with others on land with boots and in the air with planes.”

Following the summit, Starmer announced that Europe would step in as a “mediator” for Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his argument with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, and would “try to stop the conflicts.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed readiness to use her good relationship with Trump as a “bridge builder.”

In her statement, Meloni called for an urgent meeting “to speak frankly about how we will tackle today’s great challenges, starting with Ukraine, which we have defended together in recent years.”

Germany, Spain and Poland hesitant about sending troops

Although Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was among the first to support Zelenskyy, Warsaw has yet to signal any significant initiative regarding Ukraine.

Germany, Spain, and Poland are among European countries showing hesitation about sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.

European Council President António Costa described Sunday’s consultations as “useful and important” ahead of the March 6 EU summit, where he said leaders must be “ready to make decisions.”

It remains debatable whether all 27 EU member states can bridge potential internal divisions with Hungary and Slovakia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Sunday that she would present a “comprehensive plan” on defense at the March 6 summit, though criticism has mounted over why preparation has taken so long, especially given the urgency.

Starmer and Rutte asked Zelenskyy to repair relations with Trump

Despite promises of support for Ukraine, some European leaders signaled to Kyiv that they would prefer to see relationships with Washington repaired rather than proceeding entirely without the US.

An EU official stated after the talks, “There was broad consensus on the importance of continuing to work closely with the US in the NATO context and strong agreement that future European contributions toward additional security guarantees should be developed hand in hand with the US.”

Indeed, both Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had previously tried to convince Zelenskyy to find a way to repair relations with the US administration, despite Trump clearly stating he didn’t want Kyiv to continue fighting.

However, repairing ties between Trump and Zelenskyy won’t be easy. While European allies lined up to express support for the leader of the war-damaged country, the US clearly stated it wants a public apology.

Trump’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Fox News, “For President Trump to be willing to re-engage on this issue, there will need to be a rebuilding of interest in good faith negotiations.”

Starmer told journalists he had spoken with Trump before the London summit to coordinate proposals. Starmer also hasn’t abandoned plans to convince Washington to support European troops deploying to secure a ceasefire.

Starmer said Europe needs to “lift the heavy burden” but “this effort needs to have strong US support.”

Details of the British-French plan

New details of the European peace plan emerged after French President Emmanuel Macron told Le Figaro that he and Starmer were proposing a month-long ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine “in the air, at sea, and on energy infrastructure.”

Macron added that this approach would have the advantage of verifying Russia’s intentions and would be easier than monitoring a ceasefire across the entire front line, saying, “In a ceasefire situation, it will be very difficult to verify compliance at the front.”

The British prime minister’s office declined to comment, but Starmer said Britain could deploy troops if a ceasefire were accepted. A month-long ceasefire covering air, sea, and infrastructure areas is suggested to “help build trust on both sides.”

The second key piece of the European plan involves Zelenskyy giving Washington an economic stake in the peace agreement by signing a deal that would give the US a share of revenue from some of Ukraine’s mineral reserves.

Trump wanted Zelenskyy to sign this agreement during his visit to Washington last Friday.

The UK’s Ambassador to Washington, Lord Peter Mandelson, called on Zelenskyy to sign the agreement and urged Ukraine and all European leaders to give “unequivocal support to President Trump’s initiative” to mediate peace.

In his statement to ABC, Mandelson gave another indication of British thinking, saying, “Ukraine should be the first country to commit to a ceasefire and challenge the Russians to follow suit.”

Starmer said, “I feel very strongly that unless progress is made, we will remain in the position we are in. This is not the time for more talk. It’s time to act, take steps, and lead.”

Desperate calls for US “firepower”

Starmer and the British still believe that US military power is essential for a “ceasefire” in Ukraine, despite everything.

The British leader said UK and US teams had discussed how Trump could help secure any peace agreement, but the President had always made it clear that he saw this as a responsibility for European countries.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, leaving the summit, said the discussion was “ongoing” about whether the US would contribute to security guarantees.

France may act as nuclear umbrella

After Trump cut military support to Ukraine, discussions about increasing Europe’s defense capacity intensified.

In his interview with Le Figaro after the meeting, Macron said the EU should provide €200 billion to increase its defense capacity.

Macron also said they should set a target equivalent to 3% to 3.5% of economic output for expenditures.

Macron said, “We will give a mandate to the European Commission to determine our capacity needs for common defense. This major financing will likely reach hundreds of billions of euros.”

The French President also stated he wanted to begin discussions about sharing France’s nuclear umbrella with European neighbors. Macron added, “We have a shield but they don’t. And they can no longer rely on America’s nuclear deterrence. We need a strategic discussion with those who don’t have it; and this will make France stronger.”

In the interview, Macron said truly strengthening European defense “will take five years, ten years” and added, “But that doesn’t matter, because I believe today is a moment of strategic awakening.”

Cotton hands in pockets for Europe’s defense

The broader European Council will meet Thursday to discuss a €20 billion military package for Ukraine and steps to increase defense spending, including relaxing financial rules.

Starmer, Macron, and Meloni all clearly expressed that Europe needs to do more to defend itself, but the path to peace in Ukraine must go through the White House.

In this context, Starmer announced a £1.6 billion British export guarantee for the supply of more than 5,000 air defense missiles to Ukraine, to be produced in Belfast.

According to Bloomberg, the refocus on Europe’s defense strengthened regional currencies against the dollar, along with investors’ expectations that higher spending would boost growth.

The euro rose 0.4% against the dollar, outperforming most major peers, while the Polish zloty, Romanian leu, and Scandinavian currencies also gained.

European defense stocks showed increases in early trading on Tradegate Monday compared to Friday’s main stock exchange closings: BAE Systems up 23%, Rheinmetall 19%, Thales 17%, Saab 17%, Dassault Aviation 16%, Rolls-Royce 13%, and Leonardo 12%.