UK Hosts Summit Pressing Allies To Aid Ukraine

On Oct. 24 at Downing Street, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met President Volodymyr Zelensky and convened a Coalition of the Willing summit to rally European support for Ukraine. Starmer urged partners to unlock frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine’s defence and to increase gifting of long‑range missiles and other capabilities so Kyiv can hit deep targets and bolster air defences. Zelensky warned that Russian strikes are crippling Ukraine’s energy grid and risk a humanitarian disaster this winter, and he pressed for stronger security guarantees. The meeting included in‑person attendees such as NATO and several European leaders, with others joining virtually. Leaders signalled moves to accelerate financing and military aid ahead of winter, while the EU moved toward additional funding but stopped short of approving a large reparations loan backed by frozen Russian assets.