British Prime Minister Keir Starmer invited more than a dozen European and EU leaders to a summit on March 2. The topic of the talks will be strengthening Ukraine's position, AFP reported.  .

Ahead of the main summit, Starmer will chair a morning call with the Baltic states before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street to discuss the war with Russia.

"The prime minister will use the summit to drive European action on Ukraine - signalling our collective unwavering support for securing a just and lasting peace and a durable agreement that guarantees Ukraine's future sovereignty and security," the Prime Minister's Office said.

Leaders from across continental Europe, including France, Germany, Denmark and Italy, as well as Turkey, NATO and the European Union, have been invited to the London summit.

Following his talks on 27 February with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Starmer has also invited the leaders of the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania to the summit.

The meeting will also be attended by NATO chief Mark Rutte, as well as EU leaders Ursula Don der Leyen and Antonio Costa.

The British prime minister will hold one-on-one talks in Downing Street with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, ahead of the summit.

His office said the meeting would build on talks in Paris hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month and focus on "strengthening Ukraine's current position - including continued military support and increased economic pressure on Russia".

The meeting will re-emphasise the need for "a strong durable agreement to ensure a lasting peace" and discuss "the next steps in planning for strong security guarantees".

Starmer, insisting that Ukraine must be part of any negotiations to end the three-year war with Russia, will also acknowledge "the need for Europe to play its part in defence and step up for the good of collective security". | BGNES