Keir Starmer pledged to “remove Russian oil and gas from the global market” after meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seeking to maintain momentum in efforts to end the war in Ukraine following a week when a potential truce summit fell through.
He hosted a meeting of Ukraine’s allies aimed at building on the impact of Donald Trump’s most sweeping move yet against Vladimir Putin—the introduction of sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil companies.
Zelenskyy called the U.S. decision “a big step,” but urged partners to go further: “We must put pressure not only on Rosneft and Lukoil, but on all Russian oil companies.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who arrived in London directly after talks with Trump in Washington, said he hoped the U.S. sanctions on Russia’s major oil corporations would “cut off their revenues and significantly increase pressure on Putin.”
Participants also welcomed the decision by EU leaders to secure funding for Ukraine over the next two years, despite the collapse of talks in Brussels on unfreezing Russian assets that could have been used to bolster the country’s defense.
Starmer, Zelenskyy, and Rutte gathered in London with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof, just hours before a virtual session of the so-called coalition of the willing, which Japan joined for the first time.
Since its creation, the group has discussed security guarantees in the event of a potential truce. This week, however, the focus shifted to how to intensify pressure on Putin and compel him to return to peace negotiations despite his persistent refusal to compromise.

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Belgium Refuses to Support the Expropriation of Russian Assets

Brussels Agrees Only to Keep Them Frozen Until the End of the War

Zelenskyy Seeks Broader Sanctions and Continued Supply of Long-Range Missiles
In his meeting with European leaders, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had two main goals: to capitalize on the momentum from the new U.S. sanctions and to keep long-range weapons on the agenda.
According to one participant in Friday’s talks, Putin’s personal company Surgutneftegas has not yet been targeted. “If the entire Russian oil sector could be squeezed, there might be a chance to bring Putin to the negotiating table,” he said.
A senior U.K. official separately described the U.S. action as “a really important new step,” adding that “when countries act together, the impact is always stronger.”
The same source, familiar with the talks, emphasized that long-range missiles must remain part of the strategy for both Europe and the United States. “Everyone saw how Putin reacted to the prospect of Tomahawk deliveries,” he said. “But once the Americans dropped the idea, Putin immediately turned away from diplomacy.”
Washington Increases Pressure on the Kremlin After Canceling Putin Meeting
Recently, the U.S. president has vacillated between a willingness to listen to Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin, causing unease among European observers—especially amid his plan to meet the Russian leader in Hungary this week.
However, the meeting was canceled after a tense phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.