European leaders and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief have pledged to tighten sanctions on Russia and speed up the delivery of long-range strike and air defence systems to Ukraine in Coalition of the Willing meeting in London.

 

 

At a joint press conference, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, the coalition aims to phase out Russian oil and gas from global markets and use frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine. He announced that Britain will send over five thousand lightweight multirole missiles to Ukraine, with 140 already delivered ahead of schedule.

 

 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU had approved its 19th round of sanctions, targeting Russia’s natural gas sector for the first time which is a key part of its economy.

 

 

Earlier, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Russia’s largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, to pressure Moscow to agree to an immediate ceasefire.

 

 

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the new U.S. sanctions calling them unfriendly and ineffective, insisting it will not harm Russia’s economy. He also said it will be a mistake to hold an unprepared summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, after Trump cancelled their planned meeting.