After the Trump administration told the European Union (between the lines) that it would have to take care of defences against the Russian Federation on its own, and especially in the wake of the spectacular row between Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump and JD Vance in the Oval Office, European leaders, together with Canada, gathered briefly in London on Sunday, where they were received by the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Slovenia – along with a group of minor and rogue states – was absent, despite its official role on the UN Security Council.
The summit was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and discussed continued support for Kyiv after the US administration hinted it would no longer send aid to the attacked country.
Zelensky landed in London on the 1st of March after his trip to the USA. The Ukrainian leader left Washington without signing the much-awaited natural resources agreement after a public spat with US President Donald Trump, causing shock and concern about the future of US-Ukrainian ties.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and leaders or high-level representatives of Germany, Canada, the Czech Republic, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania and Turkey also attended the key summit.
Starmer: Europe at a crossroads
The West is at a “crossroads in history,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told European leaders. “This is not a moment for more talk. It’s time to act,” Starmer said after a monumental day of diplomacy in London, as leaders on the continent tried to forge a path to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Von der Leyen: Ukraine must be put in a position of strength
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine must be put in a position of strength. This should be achieved by providing the country with a defence capability that will turn it into a so-called “steel porcupine”.
“We have to put Ukraine in a position of strength, that it has the means to fortify and protect itself from economic survival to military resilience. It is basically turning Ukraine into a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders,” said the President of the European Commission after a meeting of European leaders in London. She stressed that the focus should not only be on the military supply, but also on securing the Ukrainian energy system and making sure that over time, the country grows strong and resilient.
Ursula Von der Leyen added that another key topic of discussion was the urgent need to arm Europe. “We really have to step up massively. It is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time. It’s crucial for the security of the European Union. And we need to prepare for the worst,” she said.
The President of the European Commission is due to present a new plan on the 6th of March during an extraordinary EU summit in Brussels, which aims to sharply increase defence spending in all 27 countries of the European Union. She said the plan will include three key elements:
– a relaxation of fiscal rules to allow for more public funding, – drawing on common European Union resources, – expanding the role of the European Investment Bank.
France and the UK propose a ceasefire plan
At the summit, France and the UK also announced that they would draw up their own peace plan, which they would then present to the USA. French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a partial one-month ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which would not include ground fighting. However, Macron said that the ceasefire would cover naval and air attacks, as well as attacks on energy infrastructure.
“In the event of a ceasefire, it would be very difficult to verify that the front is respected,” Macron told Le Figaro, adding that the front line is equivalent to the distance between Paris and Budapest.
“In the end, the deal will have to involve Russia, of course it will, but we cannot go into this on the basis that Russia dictates the terms of any security guarantee before we even reach a deal – otherwise, we will not make any progress,” Starmer said.
Later on – following a meeting of European leaders in London – Ukraine and the UK also signed a major security and defence agreement.
Then, on Sunday, Starmer announced a new deal allowing Ukraine to use £1.6 billion ($2 billion) of UK export funds to buy more than 5,000 advanced air defence missiles, which would be manufactured in Belfast.
In a post on Telegram on Saturday, Zelenskysaid that the money would go to arms production in Ukraine. “This is the fair way: let the one who started the war pay.” He added that the loan will strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
Zelensky was also received by King Charles at his country estate.
Meloni: “It is very important that we avoid the risk of the West dividing”
Ahead of the Lancaster House summit, Starmer held a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at 10 Downing Street. Prime Minister Meloni probably has the best relations with Trump of any Western European leader.
Starmer and Meloni reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and agreed that “the UK and Italy will stand by it for as long as necessary,” according to an official reading.
After their meeting, Meloni said that Italy and the UK can “build bridges” between Europe and the United States to bridge the rift that was exacerbated by Friday’s meeting between Trump and Zelensky.
“It is very important that we avoid the risk of the West dividing. I believe the UK and Italy can play an important role in bridge-building,” Meloni said, underlining the importance of the unity of the West.
“I have proposed a meeting between the US and European leaders because if we divide, we will all be weaker. We both think outside the box, and I am certain that we can do even better in issues such as security, defence, energy and the fight against illegal immigration and human traffickers,” Meloni added.
Slovenia was once again left without an invitation
Despite Slovenia’s important role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, it has once again been revealed that under the feminist policies of Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and Prime Minister Robert Golob, we are a side player, or not even that. We were not invited to the meeting, nor were we mentioned there.
The key Baltic States were not invited either, but Starmer apologised for overlooking them and had already held talks with them by videoconference in the morning. Later in the morning, Starmer also spoke by video link with Estonian President Alar Karis, Latvian Prime Minister Eviko Siliņa and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
Slovenia – despite its important status at the United Nations – has thus found itself among the less important and good-for-nothing countries actively supporting Russian policy. In addition to Slovenia, the other countries in this group were Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and two countries that the EU considers to be unreliable partners with regard to the conflict in Ukraine (Hungary and Slovakia).
We asked the Government Communications Office whether they had not been invited to the meeting, or whether they had been invited and refused to attend, and what this means for Slovenia’s status in the world, especially in light of the fact that Slovenia is a non-permanent representative on the UN Security Council.
I. K.
