Starmer announces additional £1.6bn package for Ukraine – live | Ukraine

Europe faces ‘once in a generation’ moment for its security, Starmer says

Opening the summit, UK prime minister Keir Starmer – flanked by France’s Macron and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy – highlights last night’s warm reception for the Ukrainian president as he arrived at No 10 with a group of supporters cheering him on the street outside.

“We are all with you, with Ukraine, for as long as it takes,” he says.

But he warns that “this is a once in a generation moment for the security of Europe”, as he says that “getting a good outcome for Ukraine is not just a matter of right or wrong; it’s vital for security of every nation here and many others too.”

He adds that he spoke with the Baltic nations earlier, as they are “obviously part of our discussion” too.

Starmer says that he intends to work on a plan for Ukraine to “then discuss that with the US and take it forward together”.

Today’s talks will focus on “how we can deliver just, enduring peace together”, he says, and how to support Ukraine “because even while Russia talks about peace, they are continuing their relentless aggression”.

From left, French president Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend a meeting of leaders during a summit on Ukraine at Lancaster House in London. Photograph: Christophe Ena/APShare

Updated at 12.38 EST

Key events

Outgoing German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said the meeting was “valuable”, and served as an opportunity to re-affirm Europe’s support for Ukraine as “the victim of Russian aggression”.

He said it was critically important for Ukraine to be in a position to negotiate about its future.

He was also asked about not inviting the presumed next chancellor Friedrich Merz to join him at the summit, and responded that the pair remained in close contact.

Earlier today, Reuters reported that the two main parties in talks to form Germany’s new government are considering quickly setting up two special funds potentially worth hundreds of billions of euros, one for defence and a second for infrastructure.

The hope is that the funds would be approved in March during the current parliament before a new government is formed, the people with knowledge of the talks told Reuters, but no decisions have been made yet.

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Updated at 12.50 EST

Jakub Krupa

That concludes Starmer’s press conference.

Poland’s Tusk and Germany’s Scholz have been speaking in parallel.

I will bring you the key lines from their press conferences now.

ShareAny deal will need to involve Russia, Starmer says

Starmer says that any final deal “will have to involve Russia”, but it should not dictate the guarantees that can be offered to Ukraine given the history of Russian breaches in the past.

“That is precisely the situation that I think we need to avoid this time around, which is why we’re going down this road,” he says.

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Updated at 12.42 EST

Starmer suggests UK-led plan was discussed with Trump

Asked about the US response to what he is proposing, Starmer hints that he discussed this with US president, Donald Trump, in their phone call last night.

He says:

Look, I spoke to President Trump last night.

I’m not going to go through the details of that conversation, but I would not be taking this step down this road if I didn’t think it was something that would yield a positive outcome in terms of ensuring that we move together – Ukraine, Europe, the UK and the US – together towards a lasting peace.

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Updated at 12.41 EST

Starmer: Multiple countries interested in joining mission in Ukraine

Starmer says “a number of countries” indicates they were willing to join the coalition of willing, but says it is up to them to announce that.

He says he accepts “the position of other countries that may not feel that they want to contribute in that way,” but he believes it is necessary to “move forward” and “get some momentum” for peace talks.

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Updated at 12.41 EST

Guarantees needed to avoid further conflict, Starmer says

Starmer also gets asked if he can rule out a conflict between the UK and Russia.

He says that the whole point of the guarantee he is assembling for Ukraine is to guarantee peace and avoid further conflict.

I do not want conflict in Ukraine, in Europe, and certainly not in the United Kingdom. I want stability in the United Kingdom.

The way to ensure that stability is to ensure that we are able to defend a deal in Ukraine, because the one thing our history tells us is that if there is conflict in Europe, it will wash up on our shores.

ShareUS not unreliable ally, Starmer insists

Starmer rejects a suggestion that US is now an “unreliable ally” and says that it has been a “reliable ally for many, many decades, and continues to be”.

He says the talks today were on the basis that Europe will work together with the US.

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Updated at 12.34 EST

Leaders to meet again soon as ‘time to act’, Starmer says

We agreed that leaders will meet again very soon to keep the pace behind these actions and to keep working towards this shared plan.

We are at a crossroads in history today.

This is not a moment for more talk. It’s time to act.

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Updated at 12.31 EST

Starmer confirms plans for ‘coalition of willing’ to police any deal in Ukraine

Starmer says that leaders agreed to keep the military aid flowing and increasing the economic pressure on Russia, and they will insist that Ukraine needs to be at the table for any peace talks.

He confirms plans to assemble “a coalition of the willing” to enforce any peace deal, with the UK set to take a leading role.

We will go further develop a coalition of the willing to defend a deal in Ukraine and to guarantee the peace.

Not every nation will feel able to contribute, but that can’t mean that we sit back.

Instead, those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency. The UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others.

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Updated at 12.30 EST

Germany’s Scholz speaks after Ukraine summit

Separately, German chancellor Olaf Scholz is also speaking to the press.

You can follow it here and we will bring you all the key lines shortly.

Scholz holds press conference after EU leaders summit in London – watch live

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Updated at 12.41 EST

Starmer announces £1.6bn package for Ukraine for air missiles

On top of the £2.2bn loan announced yesterday, Starmer now adds another £1.6bn in UK export finance allowing Ukraine “to buy more than 5,000 air defence missiles, which will be made in Belfast, creating jobs in our brilliant defence sector”.

“This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure now and strengthen Ukraine in securing the peace when it comes because we have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot accept a weak deal like Minsk, which Russia can breach with ease,” he says.

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Updated at 12.25 EST

Starmer says “the first priority of this government, of any government is the security and safety of the British people to defend the national interest, particularly in these volatile times”.

He says he called today’s meeting “to unite our partners around this effort to strengthen Ukraine, and to support a just and enduring peace for the good of all of us”.

“Our starting point must be to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position now so that they can negotiate from a position of strength, and we are doubling down in our support,” he says.

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Updated at 12.23 EST

Starmer speaks after London summit

UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is speaking now.

I will bring you all the key lines, or you can follow here.

Starmer presser after summit with EU leaders in London – watch live

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Updated at 12.23 EST