Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at Downing Street in London on Saturday (March 1) to meet with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a key summit with European leaders.
“We stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” UK PM Starmer said shortly after the president’s arrival, adding that Zelenskyy is very welcome here.
Zelenskyy thanked Starmer for his country’s support and expressed his gratitude for an invitation to meet with King Charles on Sunday (March 2). The two did not mention US President Donald Trump.
Before he met with Starmer, the Ukrainian leader was in Washington on Friday to sign an expected deal on Kyiv’s rare minerals and mark a new chapter in the Ukraine-US relationship. Instead, the meeting blew up in front of the cameras in the Oval Office where Trump berated Zelenskyy for not being “ready” for peace with Russia.
Ukraine summit
The Ukraine summit will also include leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Romania, as well as the NATO secretary-general and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council.
The shouting match that unfolded Friday in the final minutes of the highly anticipated meeting at the White House between Trump and Zelenskyy seemed to dash, at least for now, Ukrainian hopes that the United States could be locked in as a reliable partner in helping fend off, and conclude, Russia’s three-year onslaught.
Czech prime minister says Europe is being tested
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says “Europe faces a historic test” and has to be able to take care of itself. “Nobody else will do it.” Fiala said Saturday that Europe has to increase its military support for Ukraine and European countries have to increase their arms spending to reach “at least” 3% of GDP.
“If we don’t increase our effort fast enough and let the aggressor dictate its conditions, we won’t end up well,” he said.
Slovak prime minister blasts Zelenskyy
Slovak populist Prime Minister Robert Fico repeated his country won’t provide Ukraine any military or financial support that would help it fight Russia.
Fico also demanded that an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Thursday agree to a call for an immediate ceasefire, “which is something that President Zelenskyy and a majority of EU member states refuse to do.” Fico said his country also wants the summit to specifically request Ukraine to reopen the transit of Russian gas to Europe.
He warned that if the summit doesn’t respect the Slovak requests, “the European Council might not be able to agree on its position regarding Ukraine on Thursday..
