European leaders will gather next week for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine in response to concerns that the US is moving forward with Russia in peace talks while excluding Europe from them.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is expected to attend the Paris summit, said it was a "once-in-a-generation moment for national security" and it was clear that “Europe must take a bigger role in NATO”, the BBC reported, quoted by BNR.
The Paris meeting and Starmer's words come after Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine said that European leaders would be consulted but would not participate in talks between the US and Russia to end the war. Senior White House officials are also due to meet with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, US officials said.
In comments likely to raise concerns in Ukraine and among European allies, special envoy Keith Kellogg said previous talks had failed because too many countries were involved. The BBC reported that the British prime minister now sees a role for himself in uniting the US and Europe to ensure a united approach to peace in Ukraine. Keir Starmer will discuss the views of European leaders when he visits US President Donald Trump at the White House later this month. After Starmer returns from Washington, European leaders are expected to meet again with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a statement last night, Keir Starmer said the UK would "work to ensure we keep the US and Europe together", adding that NATO allies cannot allow any divisions in the alliance to distract from "external enemies".
Starmer is set to defy Chancellor Rachel Reeves and increase British defence spending after a dramatic Munich security summit at the weekend, where the US pressured Ukraine to sign a peace deal with Russia, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.
Keir Starmer is due to fly to Washington to meet President Donald Trump next week and the defence spending announcement could be made as early as today, sources told the newspaper. The Sunday Times“ Downing Street has signalled support for higher defence spending after Starmer held private meetings at the MoD on Friday with Admiral Tony Radakin, the head of the armed forces, and the relevant heads of the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. They are urging him to raise spending to 2.65 per cent of GDP, above Labour's target.
Labour has yet to set a timetable for defence spending to reach 2.5 per cent, and on Friday a senior Treasury source insisted that Rachel Reeves was not yet ready to give more than 2.3 per cent in this year's spending review. Reaching 2.5 per cent would add £5 billion to the MoD budget, while reaching 2.65 per cent would mean £10 billion. The “Sunday Times“ source emphasizes that the prime minister is the one who will make the final decision.