President Volodymyr Zelensky attended a meeting of Ukraine’s “Coalition of the Willing” allies in London on Thursday, with long-range missiles, a European “reparations loan” to fund Ukraine’s war effort with Russian assets, energy, and joint sanctions at the top of the agenda.
Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the meeting in person. French President Emmanuel Macron and others – including newly-elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in what was her first international engagement – attended virtually.
As ever, the need for weapons for Ukraine was at the center of discussions. Although Zelensky failed to secure access to US Tomahawk long-range missiles during last week’s meeting with US President Donald Trump, Rutte said that his own meetings at the White House this week show that the final decision remains “under review.”
Writing on X after a discussion with Starmer, Zelensky also announced that the UK has agreed to produce the first batch of Ukraine’s OCTOPUS interceptor drone for further testing in Ukraine.
In fact, Zelensky’s message to Ukraine’s allies at today’s meeting can be summed up in a single statement. “Peace is born from pressure on the aggressor,” he said at a joint press briefing following the talks – thanking Trump for his recent decision to sanction two of Russia’s largest oil companies.
In a similar vein, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the same press briefing that she “totally” supports plans to fund Ukraine’s war effort with an EU loan backed by Russian assets frozen in Europe.
A decision on the proposal, called the “reparations loan” because Ukraine would not have to repay it until it receives compensation from Russia, was effectively postponed until December at an EU summit yesterday.
However, Frederiksen said that she hopes to see it advance before Christmas Eve – asking what alternative Europe has.
“The alternative is not to let Russia win this war,” she said.
Starmer echoed her remarks, adding that they had discussed the importance of making progress on the plan on “a very short timetable,” while Schoof agreed that the only way to bring Putin to the negotiating table is to increase economic pressure on Russia – adding that the Netherlands will “step up” its efforts to support Ukraine on energy as Russia continues to target infrastructure ahead of the coldest months.
At the heart of the summit was an emphasis that, while supporting Ukraine is a matter of principle, it is also part of European security.
Starmer, who began his remarks by paying tribute to Zelensky and the Ukrainian people, pointed out that six British men had been sentenced for their part in an arson and kidnapping plot orchestrated by Russia earlier that day.
“You are fighting not just for Ukraine. But for the freedom and security that is cherished by the British people - and by all Europeans - every single day,” he told Zelensky.