European leaders are set to meet next week for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine, amid concerns that the US is moving ahead with peace talks with Russia that would leave the continent in a stalemate.
Expected to attend the summit in Paris, Sir Keir Starmer has said it is a “once-in-a-generation moment for our national security” and that it is clear that Europe must play a greater role in Nato.
Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine has said European leaders will be consulted on ending the war but will not take part in any talks between the US and Russia.
Senior White House officials will also meet Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, US officials say.
In comments that could raise concerns between Ukraine and European allies, special envoy Keith Kellogg said previous talks had failed because too many parties were involved.
“It may be chalk on a blackboard, it may be a bit of a slur, but I’m telling you something that is really quite honest,” he said on Saturday.
Europe is still reeling from the Minsk agreements, a failed ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia in 2015. The talks, brokered by France and Germany, sought to end the fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Sir Keir is understood to be looking at bringing the US and Europe together to ensure a united approach to peace in Ukraine.
The UK prime minister will discuss the views of European leaders when he meets US President Trump at the White House later this month.
Another meeting of European leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected after Sir Keir returns from Washington.
Sir Keir said the UK would “work to keep the US and Europe together”, adding that neither could “let any division of the alliance be distracted by external adversaries”.
“This is a once-in-a-generation moment for our national security where we are engaged with the realities of today’s world and the threats we face from Russia,” he said.
“It is clear that Europe must play a greater role in NATO while working with the United States to secure the future of Ukraine and to counter the threats we face from Russia.”
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that Emmanuel Macron had called a summit of European leaders, which the French president has not yet announced.
Sikorski said: “President Trump has a method of operation, which the Russians call espionage by war. You put pressure and you see what happens, and then you change your position, a legitimate strategy. And we have to respond.”
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Earlier Saturday, Zelensky called for the creation of an "army of Europe," amid growing concerns that the United States could no longer come to the continent's aid.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he said US Vice President J.D. Vance's speech at the event made it clear that the old relationship between Europe and America was "ending" and that the continent "must adapt to it."
But after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to start peace talks, Zelensky added that Ukraine would "never accept a deal made behind our backs without our involvement."
Earlier this week, the US president announced that he had had a long phone call with the Russian leader and that talks to end the "ridiculous war" in Ukraine would begin "immediately."
Trump then "informed" Zelensky of his plans.
Trump was confident that his leadership style could pave the way for a peace deal in Ukraine.
His rapprochement with Putin ended more than three years of silence between Moscow and Washington.
Trump's surprise announcement brought back memories of his meeting with Putin in Helsinki in 2018.
The two men held closed-door talks for nearly two hours in the Finnish capital and spoke at a joint news conference, where Trump sided with Russia over allegations of interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
In 2016, US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia was behind an effort to increase the scale of the US election against Hillary Clinton, which involved state-sanctioned cyberattacks and the spread of fake news on social media.
