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KYIV— On Monday, as concerns over U.S. support for Ukraine continue to mount, leaders from Canada and Europe gathered in Kyiv to commemorate the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
In a show of solidarity, over a dozen Western leaders, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and leaders of Baltic and Nordic countries, convened in the absence of U.S. participants.
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As European leaders hurried to provide billions of euros in financial and military support in an attempt to bolster Kyiv’s negotiating position with Russia to end the crisis, President Donald Trump’s shadow hung over the conference.
This year, Kaja Kallas, the head of the European Union’s foreign policy, has tried to mobilize European nations to provide Ukraine with further military assistance. Following what seems to be a change in U.S. support for Kyiv since Trump’s administration started preliminary negotiations with Russia, ending Moscow’s diplomatic isolation, the initiatives have become even more urgent.
The head of the European Union’s executive branch, von der Leyen, stated in a statement upon her arrival in the Ukrainian capital, “We must expedite the immediate delivery of weapons and ammunition.” “This will be the main focus of our work in the upcoming weeks.”
In March, she said, the group would provide $3.6 billion in preapproved help, while Spain announced more than $1 billion in 2025 military financing. The money is in addition to the $1 billion Spain gave in 2024 as part of a bilateral security and defense deal.
Concerns regarding future U.S. support have also increased in light of Trump’s abrasive interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he denounced as a “dictator.”
The Kyiv celebrations on Monday come at a perplexing time for Europe as Trump shifts the US away from being cautious about Russia and three years of backing Ukraine, raising questions about changing US allies.
Keir Starmer, the British prime minister who will meet with Trump this week, spoke to the group via video and promised a new round of penalties on Russia and more than $5 billion in military assistance this year.
“We need to put even more pressure on Russia because they don’t have all the cards in this war,” he said.
During their meeting in Brussels on Monday, European foreign ministers continued to debate the E.U. aid plan. An estimated cost of over $20 billion has been proposed by some officials.
Using funds or equipment donated by European friends, the proposal aims to arm Ukraine with drones, artillery ammunition, air defenses, and other weapons.
“I heard a broad support for the initiative today around the table,” Kallas stated during a press briefing. “It’s crucial to convey the message that we can accomplish this.” She stated that in order to influence the direct negotiations from which they have been excluded, European leaders should settle on specifics at their emergency summit next week.
By some reports, Europe has increased its financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since 2022, although Kyiv was largely dependent on U.S. military assistance during the conflict. After years of sending equipment to Kyiv, some supplies are running low, and European weapons reserves are not as large as those of the Pentagon.
During the announcement of Spain’s military assistance, Sánchez stated that “diplomacy alone will not be enough” and that the “security and future of all Europeans” were at risk.
On Monday, Zelensky said on Telegram that “three years after the start of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s three-day’special military operation,’ Ukraine is alive, fighting, and our country has more friends in the world than ever before,” as he got ready to host the European leaders in Kyiv.
Kyiv and Washington were “in the final stages of negotiations” for an agreement that would provide the US broad access to Ukraine’s rare minerals, according to Olha Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister of Ukraine, on Monday. “Very constructive, with nearly all key details finalized,” she remarked on X of the discussions.
At a press conference the day before, Zelensky had resisted the deal’s original conditions, claiming that it unilaterally converted prior grants into loans and overestimated the amount of money delivered to Ukraine. In addition, he has emphasized that any agreement must include security guarantees to shield Ukraine from any future Russian aggression in the event that the war is negotiated to be resolved.
Two homemade projectiles were fired at the exterior of the Russian Consulate in Marseille, a port in southern France, on Monday, according to authorities. Nobody was hurt. Calling the incident a terrorist attack, Russian officials demanded a thorough investigation.