U.K.'s Keir Starmer pledges $2 billion to help Ukraine buy missiles

European leaders were meeting in London on Saturday hoping shore up support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after President Donald Trump berated him live on television, calling into question the future American assistance in the war wth Russia.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced billions in support for Ukraine on Sunday following a summit with European leaders, just days after President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

Starmer announced a loan of 2.2 billion British pounds ($2.8 billion) to support Ukraine, funded through the freezing of Russian assets passed on Saturday. He also highlighted a new deal that would allow Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds ($2 billion) in export finance to buy missiles made in Northern Ireland.

Starmer vowed to bolster Ukraine to allow the nation to negotiate a peace agreement from a position of power.

“We have to learn from the mistakes of the past,” Starmer said at a news conference. “We cannot accept a weak deal like Minsk, which Russia can break with ease. Instead any deal must be backed with strength. Every nation must contribute to that in the best way that it can.”

The Minsk agreements are a set of deals aimed at ending the fighting between Ukrainian armed forces and Russian separatists. Zelenskyy also referenced the weakness of the Minsk agreements during his tense visit to the Oval Office last week.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraine-zelenskyy-europe-russia-war-rcna194381

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