When US President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Russia's energy sector, the backlash was not long in coming. European leaders met in London with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks of the so-called coalition of the willing. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer opened the meeting by saying,"Ukraine's future is our future."
Starmer promised that the coalition would take steps to remove Russian oil and gas from the global market, thereby “choking off the funding for Putin’s war.” He also announced that the UK would provide Ukraine with additional missiles to strengthen its air defenses during the coming winter. “We must increase the pressure so that Putin has no choice but to negotiate in good faith,” the British prime minister said. However, it is not clear how sincere Starmer’s words are – he has previously suggested that Britain could send troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, but quickly withdrew this proposal after criticism, stressing that London “has no plans to deploy any ground forces.”
Frozen billions and pressure until Christmas
One of the main topics was the issue of using frozen Russian assets. Starmer called on partners to “finish the job” and release billions of euros from Russian state reserves to support Ukrainian defense and reconstruction. “The United Kingdom is ready to act in tandem with the European Union,” he said, adding that the aim was to move quickly.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has insisted that she wants a concrete decision before Christmas."We have to work so that we have a solution before Christmas Day. I am sure we can do it," she said. According to her, there is already a political consensus, but it needs to be translated into technical steps - that is, to create a mechanism to use the profits from frozen assets for loans or reparations for Ukraine.
Weapons, manufacturing and American caution
Zelenskyy thanked his partners at a press conference, but warned that Ukraine must become increasingly self-sufficient. “We already produce almost 60 percent of our weapons domestically,” he said, “but for anti-aircraft systems, we are still dependent on Western assistance.” He added that Russia is targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and is trying to “make the winter as cold as possible for civilians.”
That is why Ukraine is asking for more long-range weapons. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed that Washington has provided several key capabilities since the summer, but the decision on the delivery of American Tomahawk missiles is “still under review,” he said. Nevertheless, Kiev has already demonstrated the ability to strike deep into Russian territory – just this week, it used a British Storm Shadow missile to hit a plant in Bryansk.
During the meeting, Starmer called Putin's demands for Ukrainian territory"ridiculous" and "completely unacceptable." Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof added that "the only party that rejects a ceasefire is Russia," so the allies must keep up the pressure.
Winter as a test of unity
The London talks were marked by a determination to keep Ukraine energy-efficient and militarily resilient through the winter. “We need to scale up energy assistance to get Ukrainians through the winter,” Schoof said. The goal is to help Kiev protect civilian infrastructure, restore the grid, and ensure that Russian attacks do not break the will of the population.
Starmer stressed that pressure on Moscow must be simultaneous – economic, diplomatic and military. He also praised the cooperation with President Trump, whose new sanctions against Russian oil giants have strengthened the West's joint action.
Zelenskyy summed it up most simply:"Diplomacy only makes sense when it brings real decisions. We must do everything so that there is no other option for Russia than to end the war and bring peace."
The London meeting thus sent a clear signal – war fatigue has not yet set in in the West. The Coalition of the Willing wants to keep up the pace, strengthen defenses, and prepare for a long winter that will test not only Ukraine's resilience, but also the patience and unity of its allies.
