German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron stand on the steps of No.10 Downing Street in London on Sunday. The four met to discuss peace in Ukraine. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
The leaders of Britain, France and Germany vowed to scale up the production of missile interceptors and “deep strike capabilities” for Ukraine while meeting Sunday in London with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany met with Zelensky and promised their “unwavering support” for Ukraine two weeks after Kyiv was attacked by Russia with a hypersonic Oreshnik missile.
The meeting also came the same day a Russian drone strike damaged a nuclear fuel storage center just 9 miles from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
Ukraine’s three staunchest allies “underlined that Europe had an important role to play” in any settlement in between Russia and Ukraine, the “E3” leaders said in a statement following the evening meeting.
The trio “were clear that all efforts should be conducted in closest cooperation with Ukraine, wider European partners, and the U.S.,” they said, adding that they “welcomed recent Ukrainian successes on the battlefield, including the recent liberation of territory and ground-breaking use of drone technology.”
Meanwhile, they condemned Russia’s “large-scale missile and drone attacks — including the repeated use of the Oreshnik missiles — on Ukrainian cities with a tragic toll on civilians, as well as irresponsible and dangerous Russian drone incursions into NATO territory.”
Starmer, Macron and Merz “underlined the urgent need to scale up the production of interceptors and co-develop anti-ballistic missile and deep strike capabilities,” as well as to “support the future sustainability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
Ukraine’s expertise in hitting targets deep inside Russia with advanced drone technology is something allies “can learn from” to strengthen their own defenses against possible Russian aggression, they noted.
The E3 leaders concluded by outlining the five conditions “that would need to be in place for a just and lasting peace,” including a an immediate stop to the fighting. They urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to “an immediate and complete cease-fire.”
They also asserted that the present line of contact between the countries’ opposing forces in eastern Ukraine “should be the starting point for negotiations,” and that Ukraine must have “robust and legally binding security guarantees” in place once a cease-fire enters into force.
Meanwhile, they said that seized Russian assets remain frozen and that European security interests — including those of the European Union and NATO — “must be safeguarded in any deal.”
The leaders of Britain, France and Germany similarly issued praise and strong backing for Zelensky’s call for a face-to-face, negotiated end to the war in an open letter the Ukrainian leader sent to Putin on Thursday.
In it, Zelensky said Ukraine wanted to end the conflict through “direct engagement,” adding that it was incumbent on the sides to act, rather than waiting for Washington to take the lead, while other participants such as the United States and European nations “could join the bilateral track” once it was established.
