London Summit: Strong Security Guarantees Must Underpin Any Ukraine Ceasefire
The summit on Ukraine has ended in London, and the leaders of the countries stressed that strong security guarantees should be the basis for a potential truce.
This was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
The summit dedicated to Ukraine brought together 18 heads of state and government and heads of international institutions.
The discussion was attended by: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, President of France Emmanuel Macron, Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, and Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Har Støre, Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and acting President of Romania Iliese Ionte. Ilies Boloian, Acting President of Romania, and Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey.
The European and world leaders discussed continued financial support for Ukraine's defence industry, including investments in domestic arms production, as well as increased funding for the European defence industry.
Decisions on sanctions against Russia, including the freezing of Russian assets, will remain on the table until a sustainable peace is established.
There is also a clear position that strong security guarantees must be the basis for a potential truce. In particular, they are considering the possibility of using the mechanisms of the North Atlantic Treaty as one of the security guarantees and strengthening the Ukrainian army.
The truce should begin with the exchange of prisoners and the return of children. This is a step that will demonstrate Russia's true intention for peace.
The summit also discussed the importance of the U.S. role in providing sufficient support and working together to end the war and promote transatlantic unity.
A concrete plan will be developed based on proposals from France and the United Kingdom.
The next meeting of European leaders will take place in the near future, at which a new enhanced defence plan for the whole of Europe will be presented.
As reported by The Gaze, a meeting of the leaders of partner countries to support Ukraine was held in the British capital, London, on 2 March, with representatives from Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania. Also present were the Turkish Foreign Minister, NATO Secretary General and the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.