Ukraine updates: Germany to treat 8 after hospital strike – DW – 07/18/2024

Leaders from all over Europe expressed their support for Ukraine at the summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in the UK. The venue for the  meeting, Blenheim Palace, was the birthplace of Britain’s World War II Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the leaders were gathering “as a new storm gathers over our continent.”

He called on Europe to do more to support Ukraine against Russia. “Our first task here today is to confirm our steadfast support for Ukraine, to unite once again behind those values that we cherish and to say we will face down aggression on this continent together,” Starmer said, adding that the threat from Russia “reaches right across Europe,” the prime minister said.

“Every day Ukraine fights affects not just the Ukrainian people, but the European people,” Starmer said. “A continent where our belief in freedom, democracy and the rule of law was hard won and that wants to live in peace.” 

His push for closer cooperation comes against the backdrop of the possible election of Donald Trump, who, along with his new running mate, JD Vance, has suggested cutting US support for Ukraine and leaving Europe to pick up the slack.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attended an EPC meeting for the first time, as did the heads of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe. “We will not be coerced. We will continue to support Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.

The brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, the EPC was set up in 2022 as a forum for countries both inside and outside the 27-nation EU in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which shattered Europe’s sense of security.