STORY: Europe provides more security guarantee to Ukraine amid uncertainties in transatlantic ties
SHOOTING TIME: March 2, 2025
DATELINE: March 3, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:27
LOCATION: London
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the recent public clash between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House
2. pics of the summit (from No.10 Downing Street)
3. SOUNDBITE (English): ZHANG BONING, Xinhua correspondent
4. footages of the summit
5. various of European armored vehicles and mobile artillery systems being produced and tested
6. various of leaders taking picture before the summit
7. various of the Riyadh city
8. various of exterior views of the EU building

STORYLINE:

Following the recent public clash between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, Western leaders gathered in London on Sunday for a defense summit aimed at advancing a peace plan for Ukraine.

SOUNDBITE (English): ZHANG BONING, Xinhua correspondent
"Hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the meeting came after a week of intense diplomatic talks and focused on advancing a peace plan for Ukraine.
During a press conference after the summit, Starmer announced that Britain will allow Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds (2 billion U.S. dollars) of British export finance to buy more than 5,000 air defense missiles. He also unveiled a four-step plan to guarantee peace in Ukraine."

Starmer said leaders at the summit had agreed on a four-step plan: to maintain military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues and increase economic pressure on Russia; to ensure that any lasting peace guarantees Ukraine's sovereignty and security, with Ukraine at the table for any negotiations; to deter "any future invasion by Russia" in the event of a peace deal; and to establish a "coalition of the willing" to defend Ukraine and uphold peace in the country.

Starmer said, the leaders also agreed to meet again soon to sustain the momentum behind these efforts.

"Europe must do the heavy lifting," he said, emphasizing that the agreement needs U.S. backing.

Earlier on Sunday before the summit, Starmer announced that Britain, France and Ukraine will work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States. He named three essential points to achieve "lasting peace" -- a strong Ukraine, a European element with security guarantees, and a U.S. backstop, with the last one being the subject of "intense" discussion.

On Feb. 18, Russia-U.S. talks on the Ukraine crisis took place in Riyadh, with neither Europe nor Ukraine given a seat at the table.

This exclusion has heightened anxieties across Europe over its diminishing control over its own security.

Some observers believe that while Sunday's summit has pushed Europe toward greater security commitments, Ukraine's fate and Europe's strategic future still firmly rest in Washington's hands.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from London.
(XHTV)