European leaders are set to gather next week for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine, in response to concerns the US is moving ahead with Russia on peace talks that will lock out the continent.
Keir Starmer, who is expected to attend the summit in Paris, said it was a “once-in-a-generation moment for our national security” and it was clear Europe must take a greater role in NATO.
The UK prime minister will discuss the views of European leaders when he visits US President Trump at the White House at the end of this month.
Keir said the UK would “work to ensure we keep the US and Europe together”, adding the two could not “allow any divisions in the alliance to distract” from “external enemies”.
“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,” he said.
Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Emmanuel Macron had called the summit of European leaders, which has not yet been announced by the French president.
Sikorski said: “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.”
It comes after Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine said European leaders would be consulted but not take part in any talks between the US and Russia over ending the war.
Senior White House figures, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are due to meet Russian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
US officials said that Ukraine was also invited – although President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country has received no such invitation.
