AFP, London

European leaders closed ranks yesterday in support of Kyiv at a London summit, where they pledged to spend more on security and assemble a coalition to defend any truce in Ukraine.

Bringing together 18 allies, the talks were devoted to the key questions of how to provide security guarantees for Ukraine and bolster Europe’s future defences while keeping the United States under President Donald Trump onside.

Just days after a thunderous row between Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky raised fresh questions over the US leader’s commitment to Ukraine and Nato, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that Europe found itself “at a crossroads in history”.

“This is not a moment for more talk -- it’s time to act. It’s time to step up and lead and unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace,” the premier added.

With no guarantee of US involvement, “Europe must do the heavy lifting” in securing peace in Ukraine, Starmer said, indicating that several countries were ready to help defend any truce.

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