Ukraine war: Starmer to join crisis summit after Europe’s exclusion from peace talks

Russia launched 143 drones to attack Ukraine overnight, the war-hit country’s military officials said.

The air force said it shot down 95 of the drones and 46 did not reach their targets likely due to electronic countermeasures.

It is not immediately clear if the drones or drone debris caused damage on the ground.

European countries will not create one unified army in response to threats from Russia, Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.

Asked about the possibility of the creation of a European army, Sikorski told TVP World that “we should be careful with this term because people understand different things”.

“If you understand by it the unification of national armies, it will not happen,” he said. “But I have been an advocate for Europe, for the European Union, to develop its own defence capabilities.”

He said the EU was currently forming a reinforced brigade.

Earlier yesterday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called for the creation of a European army, saying the continent could no longer be sure of protection from the US and would only get respect from Washington with a strong military.

“If the US wants us to step up in defence, it should have a national component, a Nato component, but I also believe a European EU component, EU subsidies for the defence industry to build up our capacity to produce, but also an EU force worthy of its name,” Mr Sikorski said.

Prime minister Keir Starmer will join French president Emmanuel Macron-led emergency meeting amid concerns around Donald Trump’s plan to seize control of the Ukraine peace process.

France is discussing with its allies holding an informal summit of European leaders to discuss Ukraine, a French presidency official said yesterday, and four European diplomats said the meeting was likely to go ahead on Monday.

Speaking on a panel at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski also said that French president Emmanuel Macron had called for a summit of European leaders in Paris.

Following pressure from Mr Trump to end the war in Ukraine, Europe’s focus is shifting to what concrete role it can play in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as how to strengthen Europe’s collective security.

“President Trump has a method of operating, which the Russians call reconnaissance through battle. You push and you see what happens, and then you change your position, legitimate tactics. And we need to respond,” Mr Sikorski said.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine will never accept any peace deals reached behind its back or without Kyiv’s involvement.

Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants to come together with the US and Europe to devise a joint strategy before any meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to find a solution to the war.

His remarks came shortly after reports said senior officials from the Trump administration will start peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

Parallel negotiations on a critical minerals deal continued on Saturday, with Mr Zelensky saying a draft from Washington did not contain the security provisions that Kyiv needed. Three sources said the US had proposed taking ownership of 50 per cent of Ukraine’s critical minerals.

Mr Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, said Ukraine would have a seat at the table during any peace negotiations with Russia over ending the war.

David Lammy has warned that failure to deal with Russia over Ukraine would cost the UK billions, as the US said Europe would be excluded from talks over the country’s future.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the foreign secretary said Ukraine had an “irreversible pathway towards Nato” and pointed to the approximate 7 per cent of gross domestic product that countries spent on defence in the Cold War, against the current UK rate of 2.3 per cent.

“Don’t think that not meeting the challenge now somehow saves us money down the line,” Mr Lammy said on Saturday. “If Ukraine were to fail, the costs would be considerably more.”

Keir Starmer is set to join a European crisis summit to face down the threat of Russia after the US barred European leaders from peace talks with Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.

France is preparing to host the last-minute, informal meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte following comments by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that the continent should form an “army of Europe” as it could not rely on the US for defence.

Sir Keir said: “This is a once-in-a-generation moment for our national security where we engage with the reality of the world today and the threat we face from Russia.”

“It’s clear Europe must take on a greater role in Nato as we work with the United States to secure Ukraine’s future and face down the threat we face from Russia.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha and president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said they have discussed Kyiv’s vision of a path to peace in Ukraine with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi.

Peace talks on ending the Russian war in Ukraine are to start in the coming days between Kyiv and Moscow negotiators and senior officials from US president Donald Trump’s administration, but without EU officials.

“We met with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi together with Andriy Yermak to reaffirm mutual respect for territorial integrity,” Mr Sybiha said on X about the meeting that took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

“We discussed the development of bilateral relations and trade. We also shared Ukraine’s vision of the path to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace,” he said.

Volodymyr Zelensky said he has directed his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on American interests.

“I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Mr Zelensky said yesterday.

The proposal, which was at the centre of Mr Zelensky’s talks with US vice president JD Vance on the sidelines in Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, according to one current and one former senior official familiar with the talks.

The proposal focused on how the US could use Kyiv’s rare earth minerals “as compensation” for support already given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for future aid, current and former senior Ukrainian officials said speaking anonymously so they could speak freely.

Mr Zelensky’s decision to reject a deal, at least for now, was described as “short-sighted” by a senior White House official.

With President Donald Trump entering office for the second time, Nato spending is once again under scrutiny as the United States warns European countries must dig deeper into their pockets.

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday the US would “no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship” with allies on Ukraine, and warned that other Nato Members needed to spend more on defence.

It comes as Mr Trump announced he had a “highly productive” phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, which he said would initiate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.