LONDON — European leaders agreed on Sunday to "do the heavy lifting" to defend their continent as they convened in London to discuss ways of bringing an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that any peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine would require a US backstop, as he repeated his commitment to sending British troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force in any future peace settlement.

Starmer added that he and other leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, were working on assembling a "coalition of the willing" that would also commit to deploying peacekeeping troops to secure Kyiv.

He also announced that the UK will use £1.6 billion (€1.94 billion) in export financing to supply Ukraine with 5,000 air defense missiles to bolster its defenses.

The European support comes just days after a meeting between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump turned sour, resulting in a shouting match in the Oval Office, leaving much of the world in shock.

It also sent shockwaves through Europe, where leaders for weeks have been questioning their security after the Trump administration seemingly adopted a highly critical foreign policy vision that created some distance between DC and many of its allies.

The meeting ended with Trump reportedly instructing his aides to ask Zelensky to leave the White House abruptly, after he accused him of being ungrateful and not serious about pursuing peace with Russia, who launched a full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022.

The Trump administration has also reportedly been exploring the idea of potentially cutting of all support for Ukraine, both financial and military, after Trump hinted at a possible ultimatum, telling Kyiv to either work toward ending the war, or fight it out alone.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed the importance of Western unity. The Italian premier has also proposed hosting a summit between European leaders and the US, to build bridges after the relationship between the long-time allies strained over the war in Ukraine.

Meloni says she found Zelensky to be very "lucid, rational as always" in Sunday's meeting, as she expressed her sympathy for the Ukrainian leader after his spat with Trump, who together with US Vice President JD Vance, berated and belittled him.

She also noted that she sees in Zelensky someone who wants to "look for solutions" and "continue working to seek solutions" to find a way to end the more than three-year tragedy unfolding in his country.

The Italian leader stressed that Italy, Europe, NATO and the United States all share the same goal, which is arriving at a lasting and just peace in Ukraine. She also urged leaders to prioritize unity, warning that a division of the West would be "fatal for everyone," particularly Ukraine.

"The only thing that we really cannot afford is a peace that does not remain, and this cannot be afforded, Ukraine cannot afford it, Europe cannot afford it, the United States cannot afford it."

"For God's sake, everything can explode, it's not good news. So everything I can do to keep the West united and to strengthen it, I will do," added Meloni.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also at the meeting. He reiterated Ottawa's unequivocal commitment to Ukraine after the Trump spat, and offered his full support for Zelensky.

Trudeau has been dealing himself with his own issues with the 47th US president, after relations took a dive following Trump's return to the Oval Office.

Trump had threatened, even before assuming office, to implement tariffs on Canadian products as he accused his northern neighbors – and southern in Mexico – of being responsible for the flow of illegal migrants and Fentanyl into the US.

He followed through on his threats shortly after his inauguration as he imposed a 25% tariff on both Canada and Mexico. Canada retaliated with its own set of tariffs on US products, as the world stood waiting for a potential global trade war to erupt.

Trudeau leapt to Zelensky’s defense after the White House debacle, supporting the embattled president's concerns about Vladimir Putin's trustworthiness.

"On Friday in the Oval Office, President Zelensky pointed out, in so many words that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin is a liar and a criminal and cannot be trusted to keep his word in any way, shape or form, because he has demonstrated time and time again that he will break any agreements. I stand with Volodymyr Zelensky and I stand with the people of Ukraine," Trudeau said.

More talks are expected to be held between European leaders to further discuss the war in Ukraine and brainstorm ways to bring an end to the fighting. A special European Council session was called to convene EU leaders in Brussels to discuss continued support for Kyiv, as well as European defence at large. — Euronews