Fine words no longer convince Zelensky, who pleads for a European reaction "before the end of the year."

LondonThe meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, held this Friday in London and chaired by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, served little more than to showcase the unity of European and Western allies in their support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. But it also exposed, once again, the limitations of the alliance as long as the United States fails to fully engage and former President Donald Trump continues to show very contradictory signs on how to approach the relationship with Vladimir Putin.

Perhaps that is why the five leaders present—the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Netherlands, Keir Starmer, Mette Frederiksen, and Dick Schoof, respectively; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte—are used as a tool to try to stop the war. A plan that is based on negotiations from the current front lines, an idea that Moscow does not share. Starmer has assured, in any case, that they maintain permanent contact with the Republican president, aware that the viability of any strategy depends on Washington's complicity.

"The security of Ukraine is our security," the president repeated. premier, who has spoken of "strengthening long-range weapons capabilities with the supply of missiles" for Ukraine, and has said that the delivery schedules for 140 Storm Shadow missiles have been brought forward, and also of "removing Russian oil and gas from global markets." These statements have been accepted stoically by Zelensky, who asserted that "better late than never." Because all of this, the European disconnection from Russian fossil fuels, "comes too late," as Denmark's Frederiksen has acknowledged.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has "deeply" expressed his gratitude for the support of the United Kingdom and welcomed the new sanctions against Russia, which he considers "a major step" toward weakening the Kremlin's war machine. He also did not forget to express his appreciation to Donald Trump for the package of sanctions imposed this week on the two major Russian oil companies, which in his opinion could accelerate the path to peace. "The fewer attacks Putin can carry out, the more he will accept the diplomatic path. There must be no other option for Russia than to end the war," he declared.

Starmer also sought to detail a sort of five-point roadmap to strengthen support for Kiev, which is not far removed from other previous statements. The first objective is to "choke off Russian war financing" through sanctions. The second is to advance "the use of frozen Russian assets" to pay for Ukraine's reconstruction. The third is to maintain aid to Ukraine's air defense system. And finally, "ensure that military pressure on Putin does not wane" and prepare "security guarantees for the post-war scenario."

In this regard, and regarding Russian assets, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has demanded an agreement before Christmas to unlock a €140 billion loan to Ukraine that would be financed with these Russian assets. At Thursday's European Council meeting, Belgium blocked its approval of the measure. "We must find a solution before Christmas Eve to guarantee Ukraine's financing in the coming years," Frederiksen warned. Starmer agreed with her on the urgency of the seizure: "It is absolutely clear that this progress must be realized in a short period of time." In this regard, Zelensky expressed his disdain for European doubts. "One thing is the political decision, then the practical decision, and only then the implementation. And I think we had the political decision yesterday. It's a good sign. I hope we will achieve implementation before the end of the year," agreeing with Prime Minister Frederiksen's approach.

For his part, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged allies to "maintain sanctions and military pressure." Rutte, in fact, probably issued the most notable refrain: "Putin is running out of money, troops, and ideas." Moscow is not saying the same. Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called for "much more" to be done to combat the so-called ghost fleet with which the Kremlin evades sanctions.

Fear of Washington-Moscow harmony

The effort put forth by the Foreign Office – which was joined by more than twenty of Kiev's allies via video – was aimed at keeping Ukraine on the map and, at the same time, ensuring that Donald Trump continues to show a long-term interest in the conflict. However, the Kremlin is not budging from its position: the invasion continues despite the high cost in human lives for Russian troops, in exchange for very little progress on the map. The imminent visit of Moscow's special envoy to Washington to meet with his American counterpart is adding to the concern of European foreign ministries, which once again fear that the meeting will serve to marginalize them from the peace process.

If Zelensky arrived with the expectation of more weapons and money, for the moment he has received words and honors, because before arriving in London he stopped at Windsor Castle, where he was received by King Charles III. The London meeting took place twenty-four hours after the talks held this Thursday in Brussels, in which Zelensky expressed satisfaction with the new commitments to strengthen Ukraine's air defense systems. In fact, two other states have joined the group, Spain and Finland will buy weapons from the United States to supply to Ukraine.Specifically, Zelensky has asked for priority access to American Patriot missiles, in the absence of the Tomahawk, which Trump is not willing to give up for the moment.

Just a few days before this Friday's meeting, President Donald Trump imposed the aforementioned Far-reaching sanctions against Russian oil companies, the most forceful move against Moscow since his return to the White House, in addition to the announcement of the Cancellation of summit with Vladimir Putin in HungaryThe European Union has added further pressure with its nineteenth package of sanctions, which includes a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas, although it will not take effect until 2027.

Moscow. Beijing has already condemned the US sanctions, while India is assessing the impact the measures will have on its contracts.

Analysts warn that Russia could again resort to its ghost fleet of oil tankers and a network of opaque intermediaries to circumvent sanctions, as it has done since 2022. The key question, however, is whether India and China will be willing to cooperate with Russia. If they do, the sanctions will remain more than symbolic.