The Latest: Britain is hosting a summit of European leaders to shore up support for Zelenskyy

Britain is hosting a summit of European leaders on Sunday to shore up support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after an astonishing Oval Office blowout with President Donald Trump that left many uncertain where the once staunch allies stood.

The London meeting has now taken on greater importance in defending the war-torn ally and boosting the continent’s defenses.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is hosting the leaders of more than a dozen countries and other officials, embraced Zelenskyy on his arrival in London on Saturday, saying he is determined to find an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Starmer announced Sunday that Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States — a plan that emerged, he said, in talks among the countries' leaders following the White House spat.

Here’s the latest:

Russian drone attacks and Ukrainian shelling kill 2 people on each side of the front line, officials say

A Russian drone attack Sunday on the Ukrainian city of Kherson killed one person and wounded six, according to the city’s military administration chief, Roman Mrochko.

Also in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, which was mostly occupied by Russia early in the war but later partially retaken by Ukrainian forces, a man was killed in another drone attack some 57 kilometers (35 miles) away in a village on the right bank of the Dnieper River, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin said Sunday.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Dnieper River, Moscow-appointed officials in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region said Sunday that two people died in Ukrainian shelling.

Moscow sent 79 drones into Ukraine overnight into Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, 63 drones were destroyed during the overnight attacks. A further 16 simulator drones were “lost,” likely having been electronically jammed.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday morning that 62 Ukrainian drones had been shot down over Russia over the previous 24 hours.

Norway criticizes reports about stopping support for US Navy vessels

Norway’s defense minister says the country will continue to support U.S. Navy vessels in Norway, after reports surfaced that a private Norwegian company refuses to supply U.S. ships to protest the new U.S. policy towards Ukraine.

Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement on Sunday such claims are “not in line with the Norwegian government’s policy. I can confirm that all requested support has been provided.”

"The U.S. and Norway maintain a close and strong defense cooperation," he added. "American forces will continue to receive the supply and support they require from Norway.”

Reports spread online that fuel company company, Haltbakk Bunkers, announced on social media that it would stop supplying fuel to U.S. forces in Norway and American ships docking in Norwegian ports.

The post has since disappeared. But company CEO Gunnar Gran told the Norwegian state broadcaster NRK that it was true. “We follow our moral compass,” he said.

Italy's Meloni is in London after speaking with Trump in the wake of spat with Zelenskyy

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has arrived for a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a summit of European leaders about the war in Ukraine.

Starmer greeted Meloni outside 10 Downing Street with a kiss on both cheeks.

Meloni, a strong supporter of Ukraine, has positioned herself as a bridge between Trump and Europe.

She was the only European leader to attend Trump’s inauguration and her office said she spoke with the American president on Saturday night, in advance of the meeting in London.

Czech prime minister hopes the relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy can be repaired

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says that only “military support for Ukraine” can lead to a just peace and that it's the only way forward to resolve Russia's war on Kyiv.

The diverging views that Europe and the U.S. have on Ukraine should be “a wake up call for us,” he said. Fiala spoke before leaving for London on Sunday to take part in a summit of European leaders seeking to offer support for Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the wake of the White House spat.

Fiala added that he hopes Donald Trump and Zelenskyy can repair their ties in the wake of the Oval Office blowout.

“None of us is happy about the conclusion of Friday’s talks" between Trump and Zelenskyy, he added.

Russia's foreign minister slams the idea of European peacekeepers in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday that sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine would amount to a continuation of Europe’s “incitement” of Ukraine to wage war against Russia.

European leaders, Lavrov said in comments published on the foreign ministry's website, “want to prop up (Zelenskyy) with their ‘bayonets’ in the form of peacekeeping units.”

Lavrov also commented on the warming U.S.-Russia relations, describing negotiations between senior Russian and U.S. diplomats and other officials in Saudi Arabia in February as “a completely normal conversation between two delegations.”

“We will never think alike on every issue of world politics. We acknowledged this in Riyadh," Lavrov said.

“Two serious countries simply sat down to talk about where they are going wrong, and what their predecessor messed up in four years,” he added, accusing the Biden administration of “destroying all channels of contact without exception.”

Polish prime minister says Europe should have confidence in its strength

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he's flying to London with a message that Europe must believe that it can be a major military power.

Tusk told reporters at the airport before leaving Warsaw on Sunday that Europe has 2.6 million professional soldiers — more than the U.S., China or Russia — and that in the areas of combat aircraft and artillery it is also strong.

“Europe has an advantage over everyone here,” Tusk said.

He added that he'd reiterate at the summit in London that Poland’s support for Kyiv remains firm.

“Today in Europe there is a deficit of imagination and courage," he said. "Europe must understand its strength.”

Kremlin spokesman says Russia's and US foreign policies are in alignment

With a thaw in U.S.-Russia relations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the “foreign policy” alignment of the U.S. administration largely mirrors that of Moscow.

“The new (U.S.) administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,” Peskov said, according to a post by state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin on Sunday on the Telegram channel.

Peskov spoke on Wednesday, before the Zelenskyy-Trump blowout on Friday.

His remarks were seen as a follow-up on the U.S. splitting with its European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. In the U.N. General Assembly last week, the U.S. joined Russia in voting against a Europe-backed Ukrainian resolution that calls out Moscow’s aggression and demands an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.

Ties between Moscow and Washington had plummeted to their lowest levels since the Cold War after Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and invaded Ukraine in 2022.

European Commission chief says path to peace in Ukraine is a surge in Europe's defenses

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, says she will “highlight Europe’s ongoing support to Ukraine” during the London summit on Sunday.

As she traveled to the United Kingdom, von der Leyen said the aim of the 27-nation bloc is to create a path “to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

Von der Leyen, the head of the EU’s executive arm, wrote on the social network X: “The path to peace is strength. Weakness breeds more war. We will support Ukraine, while undertaking a surge in European defense."

Macron says Russia is a threat not just to Ukraine but also Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron says Russia must be stopped or it's likely to expand its military operations in Ukraine further west.

Macron told La Tribune Dimanche newspaper ahead of a summit in London that Vladimir Putin’s ambitions pose an existential threat to Europe.

“We have an over-armed and aggressive Russia on our borders. It is carrying out terrorist actions and massive disinformation campaigns here and in Europe,” Macron said. If Putin is not stopped, Macron said, “he will certainly move on to Moldova and perhaps beyond to Romania."

"It’s our security that’s at stake,” Macron added.

“The clear destiny of the Americans is to be on the side of the Ukrainians, I have no doubt about that,” he said. “I want the Americans to understand that disengagement from Ukraine is not in their interests.”

Starmer says the UK, France and Ukraine will draft a ceasefire plan to present to the US

The British prime minister says the United Kingdom, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States.

Starmer says the plan emerged after talks among the four countries’ leaders following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s spat with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday.

The prime minster told the BBC he believes the U.S. president wants a durable peace in Ukraine. He repeated his assertion that American security guarantees will be needed to make it stick.

London summit welcomes Europe leaders after stunning Oval Office spat

The meeting at Lancaster House, a 200-year-old elegant mansion near Buckingham Palace, follows a charm offensive last week to engage with Trump to tilt his allegiances toward Europe.

That offensive, however, devolved into a meltdown on live television from the Oval Office on Friday with Trump's extraordinary scolding of Zelenskyy.

It seemed to dash, at least for now, Ukrainian hopes that the United States could be locked in as a reliable partner in helping fend off, and conclude, Russia’s three-year onslaught on Ukraine.

Sunday's summit will also include leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Romania, as well as the NATO secretary-general and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council.

The summit on Sunday will also include leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Romania, as well as the NATO secretary-general and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council.