European leaders discuss peace in Ukraine at London summit

European leaders gathered on Sunday to discuss peace efforts for Ukraine and the broader European continent.

There, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his intention to visit the U.S. again for further talks, following his heated public confrontation with U.S. President Donald Trump last week.

Our Park Kun-woo reports.

European countries are stepping up their efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

During a summit in London on Sunday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that Europe is a continent at "a crossroads in history."

"This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act, time to step up and lead and to unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace."

Starmer said during Sunday's summit that EU countries would form a "coalition of the willing" and draft a peace plan that will later be presented to U.S. President Donald Trump.

He also spoke about allowing Ukraine to use UK export finance worth 2-billion U.S. dollars to buy some 5-thousand air defense missiles.

But he also stressed all of these efforts need strong U.S. backing.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen spoke about the urgent need to "re-arm Europe."

After the summit, Zelenskyy expressed confidence that his relationship with Trump would continue despite their public spat on Friday.

"I think our relations will continue. From our side we are ready to sign the minerals deal. I honestly think the United States will be ready as well."

The summit between 19 world leaders came just two days after a fiery exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, where Zelenskyy was blamed on live television for not showing enough gratitude for U.S. support.

Zelenskyy was visiting Washington to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. but his visit was cut short.

But Zelenskyy also shared his willingness to visit the U.S. for a further dialogue if he gets invited once again, representing the interests of a country that "heavily depends on support from partners."

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday local time that Zelenskyy needs to "come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude" to accept the minerals deal while adding it might require new leadership in Ukraine to make that happen.

Park Kun-woo, Arirang News.