More than 20 allies gathered at the invitation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Friday, October 24th, to coordinate support for Kyiv and increase pressure on Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the discussions, calling the meeting “very important” and thanking partners for confirming continued political, military, and financial backing for the year ahead.
At a joint press conference in Westminster, five leaders of the coalition walked out together to present a unified front. Starmer opened the briefing by declaring that the group was “fighting, not just for Ukraine but for the freedom and security of all British and European people.”
Starmer said Trump was right to impose new sanctions on Russian oil firms and that the UK and EU had imposed their own in coordination. “We must now maintain this pressure,” he said, describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as “the only person who does not want to stop this war.” Citing recent Russian strikes on civilian targets, he called them “crystal clear” evidence that “time after time, he rejects the chance to end the war.”
The British prime minister outlined several new commitments from the day’s talks, including strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and accelerating the delivery of 140 missiles ahead of schedule. “We will keep up the military pressure on Putin through continued provision of long-range capabilities,” Starmer said, adding that the coalition would continue developing long-term security guarantees to uphold “a just and lasting peace.”
Zelensky accused Russia of conducting a “campaign of terror against our energy system” designed to “torment” Ukrainians through the winter. “Their goal hasn’t changed: they want to break us,” he said. “They want to break Ukraine, and they’re doing everything to achieve that.” He called for reinforced air defenses and “substantial attention” to the front line, arguing that “peace is born from pressure on the aggressor.” He thanked Trump and other allies for implementing new sanctions on Russian oil, calling them a “big step,” and urged further action against Russian oil companies, “shadow fleets,” and terminals.
The Ukrainian president also said the decision on frozen Russian assets was “crucial for us,” noting there was “political consensus” and expressing hope for a “practical decision” soon. He added that Ukraine’s own drone and missile campaigns were part of applying pressure, as “long-range capability strengthens diplomacy.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the newly announced U.S. sanctions against Russia’s largest oil companies would “significantly increase the pressure on Putin” and demonstrated that Trump was “absolutely committed” to ending the war. He said Putin was “gaining little ground” in Ukraine and that these “marginal gains” were coming “at a huge price,” with hundreds of thousands of Russians dying “for Putin’s deluded aggression.” The Russian president, Rutte said, was “running out of money, troops, and ideas,” adding that “now is the right time to increase the pressure.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said there was “no indication” Putin wanted peace and pledged to maintain long-term support for Ukraine. “We have taken significant steps with the EU’s new sanctions package,” she said, adding that the U.S. sanctions were also “an important measure.” Frederiksen confirmed that allies aimed to resolve the technical details of a “reparations loan” funded by frozen Russian assets by Christmas.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said the Netherlands would “step up our energy assistance” to help Ukraine through the winter and echoed the call for greater economic pressure on Russia. “We need to keep Ukraine in the fight,” he said. “The only way to persuade Putin to negotiate is to increase economic pressure.”
The leaders reiterated their collective stance that sanctions, long-range weapons, and financial support are the most effective means to bring Russia to the negotiating table. Starmer concluded that the coalition, together with the EU and the United States, would continue “in tandem” to “dial up the pressure on Putin” while working on lasting security guarantees for Ukraine. “Ukraine’s future is our future,” the British PM said.
