London, March 2 (UNI) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told European leaders gathered Sunday for a summit on Ukraine that they need to continue to support Kyiv and meet a "once in a generation moment" for the security of Europe.
"Even while Russia talks about peace, they are continuing their relentless aggression," Starmer said at the opening of the meeting in London.
Starmer, flanked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron, said the three of them have agreed to work on a plan to stop the fighting, and then take it to the United States, which has discussed brokering a peace deal, CBS News reported.
"We need to agree what steps come out of this meeting to deliver peace through strength for the benefit of all," he said. "So, let's get started."
The meeting was held at Lancaster House, and attended by leaders from Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania.
The Turkish foreign minister, NATO secretary-general and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council were also in attendance.
The meeting was overshadowed by the extraordinary verbal spat between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump on Friday at the White House.
Starmer told CBS News partner BBC that he does not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin but does trust Mr. Trump.
"Do I believe Donald Trump when he says he wants lasting peace? The answer to that is yes," he said.
Starmer said there are "intense discussions" to get a security guarantee from the U.S.
The three essentials Starmer listed for a successful peace deal were: arming the Ukrainians to put them in a position of strength; including a European element to guarantee security; and providing a "U.S. backstop," to prevent President Putin from breaking promises.
UNI RN