Macron also announced that the Multinational Force for Ukraine, which would be deployed once the fighting has ended, would hold exercises in the coming months in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries “to validate our deployment plans and demonstrate that we are ready”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “It is time to put an end to this pointless bloodshed in Ukraine”.
He said support for Ukraine was “for the sake of freedom throughout Europe”.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said now was the time to “double down” to end the war, at a time when Ukraine appeared to be turning the tide in the conflict by stabilising the front line and striking deep inside Russia.
Britain joined the European Union’s US$103 billion ($179b) support loan for Ukraine and introduced with the bloc a sanctions package targeting malicious Russian cyber actors.
Before the summit, 10 countries announced the formation of a coalition to develop “purely defensive” anti-ballistic capabilities for Europe.
A joint statement from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom said: “We do this not against any people, but in defence of our own”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Strong and sufficient anti-ballistic capabilities are essential to bringing Russia’s war against Ukraine to an end”.
Moscow dismissed the summit as a gathering of leaders who “do not want peace”, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov branding the summit “a coalition of warmongers”.
– AFP