Monday Briefing

From left, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and President Emmanuel Macron of France in London yesterday.Credit…Pool photo by Justin Tallis

Europe races to mend a U.S.-Ukraine rupture

Eighteen European leaders gathered yesterday in London to repair Ukraine’s fractured relationship with the U.S., with Britain and France assembling a “coalition of the willing” to develop a plan for ending the war with Russia. The leaders also pledged to bolster support for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, said “a number” of other nations had indicated that they would join with Britain and France in deploying troops to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow. He also announced plans to let Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds in British export financing to buy more than 5,000 air defense missiles.

The gathering took on more urgency after Zelensky’s heated meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, which raised fears that the U.S. would try to force Ukraine to make a peace deal on terms favorable to Russia. Neither Europe nor Ukraine currently has seats at the table in a potential Trump-brokered deal, and Trump has given Ukraine no security assurances.

Quotable: “We are at a crossroads in history,” Starmer said. “Europe must do the heavy lifting,” he declared, but added, “To support peace, and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing.”

Ukraine: After the meeting between Trump and Zelensky, many Ukrainians have asked themselves: Could the U.S. abandon them?

Related: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered U.S. Cyber Command to halt offensive operations against Russia, officials said.