Europe’s Turning Point? London Security Summit Begins

The London security summit, called by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has officially started on Sunday at around 4:30 p.m. Kyiv time. 

Starmer has called it a “once in a generation moment” for Europe. 

The meeting was attended by dozens of heads of state from Europe – as well as NATO Chief Mark Rutte and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as military chief turned-UK-ambassador Valery Zaluzhny, were also present. 

What’s at stake? 

Europe might be on its own after the US signaled an intent to shift away its focus from the continent – an major policy shift after the Cold War. 

The summit followed a series of high-profile visits to Washington this week undertaken by French President Emmanuel Macron, then Starmer, then Zelensky – the latter of which spiraled into US President Donald Trump and his aide berating Zelensky for supposedly not “grateful” for US support live on TV. 

After Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth signaled a rollback of US presence in Europe a few weeks prior, now the US is considering pulling aid for Ukraine altogether after the Friday debacle. 

But Russia is still on Europe’s doorstep, with its invasion raging on Ukrainian soil as the talks commenced. 

Mending ties? 

The meeting is set to address Europe’s collective defense and support for Ukraine, though details remain murky. 

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Based on statements before the summit, the parties are likely to try and help Ukraine stay on good terms with Washington – Starmer said he had a phone call with Trump after the Friday debacle, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – who has been on relatively good terms with Trump and also held a phone call with him after Friday – cautioned against “risk that the West divides” after meeting with Starmer before the summit. 

Starmer also said a ceasefire plan is being worked out with France and Ukraine to be presented to Trump – which could be interpreted as an attempt to appease the US leader after what happened. 

Will that be the case? We might find out after the summit. 

Macron talks nuclear 

Europe’s collective security is likely an agenda at the summit. 

Macron has been a serious advocate for creating a European army for some time. In 2018, he floated the idea of a “true, European” army during Trump’s last presidency.

While the idea did not gain much traction at the time, it might be received differently now. 

A day before the summit, Macron also brought up the idea of Europe’s very own nuclear deterrence, backed by France – again, an idea that was met with opposition in 2024 that might now be seriously considered as an alternative to the US nuclear arsenals in Europe that might soon be no more. 

Support for Ukraine

After Friday’s Trump debacle, a number of countries also voiced their support – but so far, there have been a whole lot of words, not a lot of actions. 

UK and France have voiced openness to send troops to Ukraine as security guarantees – an idea backed by Trump but rejected by Moscow. This might be discussed at the summit with other countries. 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also talked of a planned €700 billion ($732 billion) EU aid package for Ukraine recently, but she did not reveal details – the amount would surpass all foreign aid from the US and EU combined to date, but whether it would come to fruition remains to be seen.