European leaders gather in London as Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls for tougher action on Russia and fresh military support for Ukraine amid intensifying winter hostilities…reports Asian Lite News
European leaders are descending on London today for a high-stakes meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, as Ukraine’s allies step up efforts to isolate Russia and intensify pressure on President Vladimir Putin ahead of the winter campaign.
The summit, hosted by the UK government, brings together key Western allies both in person and virtually to discuss ways to bolster Ukraine’s military resilience and tighten the economic screws on the Kremlin. The meeting follows a fresh wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine, including a deadly attack on a nursery that killed young children — an incident that has reignited outrage across Europe.
The London gathering comes amid mounting frustration over Moscow’s refusal to engage seriously with peace proposals. Putin has rejected the latest overtures for talks reportedly put forward by former US President Donald Trump, fuelling renewed determination among Ukraine’s backers to maintain a united front and strengthen Kyiv’s defences.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will chair the meeting, said: “The only person involved in this conflict who does not want to stop the war is President Putin, and his depraved strikes on young children in a nursery this week make that crystal clear. Time and again we offer Putin the chance to end his needless invasion, to stop the killing and recall his troops, but he repeatedly rejects those proposals and any chance of peace. From the battlefield to the global markets, as Putin continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine we must ratchet up the pressure on Russia and build on President Trump’s decisive action. After all, Ukraine’s security matters to us all, and what happens on the frontline of Donetsk today is shaping our collective future for years to come.”
In recent weeks, Western nations have sought to increase both military and economic pressure on Moscow. The United States this week imposed fresh sanctions on two of Russia’s largest oil companies and moved to restrict financial flows that fund the Kremlin’s war effort. The measures came after similar action by the UK last week, part of a coordinated drive to further cut off Russia’s access to global markets.
The European Union, meanwhile, has approved its 19th package of sanctions targeting Russia, tightening controls on oil exports and closing financial loopholes. European and G7 countries are also exploring the use of immobilised Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort — an unprecedented move that could provide billions in long-term financial support for Kyiv.
The UK government has repeatedly stressed that supporting Ukraine remains central to its national security strategy. Downing Street has framed the conflict as a test of democratic resilience and the cornerstone of its “Plan for Change”, linking international stability to domestic prosperity and security.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the London meeting in person, alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. They will be welcomed at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office by schoolchildren from St Mary’s Ukrainian School, which has taken in hundreds of displaced Ukrainian pupils since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Around 20 additional world leaders are expected to join the summit virtually.
During the discussions, the Prime Minister is expected to urge leaders to take coordinated action to deprive Russia of oil and gas revenues and unlock billions of pounds in frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s defence. He will also call for increased deliveries of long-range missile systems and air defence capabilities, arguing that Ukraine must be placed in the strongest possible position before winter.
Leaders are also expected to examine measures to better protect Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure. Russian attacks have repeatedly targeted power plants, substations, and heating facilities, leaving millions of civilians vulnerable as temperatures begin to plummet.
Starmer will announce that the UK has accelerated a major missile production programme to deliver more than 100 additional air defence missiles ahead of schedule. The move, officials say, is designed to help Ukraine defend itself through the harsh winter months, when Russia has historically intensified its bombing campaigns on civilian and energy targets.
The missiles are part of a £1.6 billion package announced in March, agreed between UK industry and the Ukrainian government, to produce over 5,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs). The deal supports 200 new jobs and safeguards around 700 existing ones at Thales’ manufacturing facility in Belfast.
The contract has already tripled Thales’ LMM production capacity. Faster-than-expected progress means an additional 140 missiles will now be delivered ahead of schedule this winter to reinforce Ukraine’s air defence network.
Officials said the new deliveries will complement existing UK and NATO support, which includes training Ukrainian troops, supplying drones and armoured vehicles, and maintaining sanctions pressure on Russia’s financial and energy sectors.
The London summit is expected to conclude with a joint statement reaffirming the coalition’s long-term commitment to Ukraine and its sovereignty. Participants will underline that Western unity remains unshaken despite the protracted conflict, and that the coalition’s support for Kyiv will continue “for as long as it takes.”
As Ukraine braces for another brutal winter, today’s meeting in London marks a renewed phase in the Western alliance’s strategy: one that aims not just to defend Ukraine’s present, but to define Europe’s security future.
