British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said a new deal has been agreed to spend £1.6 billion ($2 billion) via UK export finance and purchase “more than 5,000 air defense missiles” for Ukraine at a Sunday press conference after a European summit attended by Western leaders.
Starmer said the money would be invested into the UK’s defense industry, particularly arms production in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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The PM called for a united Europe to help Ukraine negotiate in the “strongest possible position,” as any peace deal “must be backed by strength.”
“We agreed that any lasting peace must ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, and Ukraine must be at the table [for negotiations],” Starmer said.
At the beginning of his speech, Starmer reiterated the UK’s initiative to formulate a ceasefire plan with France and Ukraine to be presented to US President Donald Trump, as Starmer announced earlier on Sunday.
Starmer said there are four steps agreed upon at the summit:
- Keep the military aid flowing and ramp up “economic pressures” on Russia
- Ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security
- Keep boosting Ukraine’s defense in the event of a peace deal to deter future invasions
- Rally partners to join a “coalition of the willing” to provide security guarantees for Ukraine – but Starmer said it needs US backing to succeed, as he said earlier after his earlier meeting with Trump
The UK and France have voiced openness to deploying some 30,000 peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in future peace settlements. Though Berlin has ruled out troop deployments, German defense officials said the idea might be considered once a framework is in place, according to Reuters.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is open to European peacekeepers in Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly opposed the idea.
Europe Inches Towards Ukraine Peace Plan, but Still Relying on US
When asked by a reporter about the fallout between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump on Friday and whether Europe can still count on US support, Starmer said the US remained a “reliable ally” for the UK.
Another reporter asked Starmer if security guarantees from “a coalition of the willing” for Ukraine could come from nations outside Europe. Starmer named Canada as an example but did not specify if Canada has agreed to deploy troops.
Later, a reporter asked about Russia’s involvement in future talks, to which Starmer said Moscow would eventally be involed but added, “We can’t approach this on the basis that Russia dictates the terms [of] any security guarantees before we even got to a deal,” adding that the Kremlin has a history of breaking ceasefire agreements.
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