MONDAY’S London summit meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British, French and German leaders Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz shows that European Nato states are trying to block peace in Ukraine, the Stop the War Coalition warned today.

French President Macron announced the summit on Saturday, accusing Russia of an “escalatory path … not seeking peace.”

British minister Pat McFadden said today that a peace deal should not reward Russian aggression.

But Stop the War convener Lindsey German told the Morning Star that Mr McFadden’s remarks were “cover for the fact that European governments, acting as part of Nato, are themselves involved in a proxy war with Russia over Ukraine and are willing to bring Europe closer to war.

“The European Nato states are quite simply opposed to a peace deal and will do everything they can to prevent it,” she said.

Communist Party general secretary Robert Griffiths agreed, warning that “Britain and the EU want to prolong the war in their alliance with Zelensky’s corrupt and anti-democratic oligarchy — while [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [United States President Donald] Trump want to carve up mineral-rich Ukraine to the profit of their corrupt capitalist oligarchies.

“What is desperately needed is for bodies such as the United Nations and the Organisation for Security & Co-operation in Europe to pick up China’s February 2023 peace plan and seek a ceasefire and a just settlement that respects the principles of national sovereignty and autonomy.”

The recent US national security strategy published last month by the White House hints at diverging policy with Europe on Ukraine, arguing that the US needs to “mitigate the risk of conflict between Russia and European states,” stop the war spreading and “re-establish strategic stability with Russia.”