European leaders voice 'urgent need' to bolster Ukraine's defenses against ballistic missiles

LONDON (AP) — The leaders of the U.K., Ukraine, France and Germany discussed the “urgent need” to ramp up production of weapons to combat Russia's powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missiles in a meeting in London on Sunday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at 10 Downing Street.

In a statement released by Starmer's office following their evening meeting, the leaders condemned Russia’s “large-scale missile and drone attacks — including the repeated use of the Oreshnik missiles — on Ukrainian cities with a tragic toll on civilians." They also condemned Russia's “irresponsible and dangerous Russian drone incursions” into NATO territory, including last month's in Romania.

Russia has stepped up its aerial campaign against Ukraine recently, most notably with the launch of the Oreshnik missiles.

“The leaders underlined the urgent need to scale up the production of interceptors and co-develop anti-ballistic missile and deep strike capabilities," the leaders said.

No details, financial or otherwise, on how this would be done were provided.

Ukraine’s shortage of air defense systems, in part because of the depletion of U.S. stocks during the Iran war, has left civilians especially vulnerable to ballistic missiles, even as Kyiv’s defenses stop most of Moscow’s drones and its forces have made advances elsewhere on the battlefield.

The worry for Ukrainians is that the Iran war, which has been in abeyance for weeks, may now reignite after Iran launched missiles on Sunday at Israel in the first such bombardment since a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April, complicating mediation efforts for a deal to end the war.

Following their meeting in London, the European leaders called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree “an immediate and complete ceasefire” with the current line of contact as a starting point for any negotiations.

The U.K., France and Germany, the so-called E3 group of European nations, have been prominent backers of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.K. and France lead the “coalition of the willing” initiative to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace process.

The meeting comes in the wake of a Russian drone strike that killed three people waiting at a bus stop in southeastern Ukraine. A separate drone strike damaged a storage center for spent nuclear fuel in the Kyiv region, just 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s General Staff said. The attack sparked a fire that was extinguished within an hour. Radiation remains within safe levels, officials said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said the incident was “deeply concerning” due to the large amounts of nuclear material held at the facility. He said in a statement that the agency would visit the site of the attack soon.

The Russian attacks follow a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday that targeted Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to hit deep inside Russia.

With the front line barely moving as swarms of drones hinder advances, both sides have sought an edge by launching long-range strikes.

Associated Press writer Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, second from right, France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second from left, and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz pose on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street after their meeting in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, third from left, stands with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, far left, as France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz leave 10 Downing Street after their meeting in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, second from right, France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, Ukrain'e President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second from left, and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, pose for photos on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street after their meeting in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

France's President Emmanuel Macron gestures to Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer as they walk out of 10 Downing Street before a meeting inside with the leaders of Germany and Ukraine, in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, second from right, stands with France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second from left, and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street after their meeting in, London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, left, greets the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street ahead of a meeting inside, in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, left, greets the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street ahead of a meeting inside, in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives for a meeting with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany in Downing Street in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, left, greets the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street ahead of a meeting inside, in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, left gestures to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they step inside 10 Downing Street ahead of a meeting with the leaders of France and Germany in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits the German Armed Forces Laage airbase, Germany, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he arrives for the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat, Montenegro, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks at a Vanta system as he visits STARK, a leading defence tech company in Swindon, England, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday replaced an exhibit on slavery at the site of President George Washington’s home in Philadelphia with a version that historians say whitewashes the nation’s history.

The new exhibit was installed in the same area where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.

“Overnight, under the cover of darkness, the federal government removed panels at the President’s House that told a thorough history of Philadelphia,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said. “It was allowed to do this by the decision of the federal court, but that it did so at night shows it understands this action is shameful, that it violates community trust.”

The original panels were put in place in 2010 and told the story of how nine slaves lived in the home along with George and Martha Washington in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was briefly the nation’s capital.

The changed exhibition comes as President Donald Trump has made dismantling diversity and inclusion initiatives a priority in an aggressive campaign to overhaul some of America's most sacred cultural, historic and educational institutions.

Trump issued an executive order in 2025 that called for federally owned or controlled historic sites to not display information to “disparage Americans past or living” and to focus on the “greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”

The directive has raised concerns about sanitizing and erasing dark sides of American history.

Trump has continued a broadside against culture he deems too liberal. In March, Trump revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targeted funding for programs that advanced “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology." He has also pressured organizations outside of the government, including universities, to take similar actions with the stated aim of eliminating what he says are discriminatory practices.

The Trump administration first installed the new panels earlier this year, but a lower court forced the federal government in February to remove them. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit of Appeals reversed that and ruled July 3 that the work could continue.

The three-judge panel praised the plans for the replacement installation, writing that they were “full of historical context,” despite objections from historians and city officials that the content appears whitewashed.

The Interior Department told The Associated Press Wednesday in a statement that the new “panels are full of historical context and highlight the momentous events that took place in the President’s House and the other sites at Independence National Historical Park.”

“They acknowledge the evils of slavery, including its injustices and hypocrisies, and, by telling the stories of the nine slaves that Washington kept in the President’s House, remind us of their essential humanity,” the statement said.

A government website with images of the new panels showed they would still have information on enslaved people who lived in the home. It would also include details on the abolitionist movement, how the Constitution treated slavery, the end of slavery in Pennsylvania and how Washington and his successor, John Adams, viewed and treated slavery, as well as information about the 20th century Civil Rights movement.

However, the replacement panels do not include some of detail in the earlier ones, such as a map of slave trade routes and a timeline on slavery. They also avoid critical headlines such as “The Dirty Business of Slavery.”

The city of Philadelphia had sued the federal government over the removal of information previously included in the panels. It argued that the federal government must consult with the city before making changes to the President’s House Site. Justice Department lawyers argued the administration alone can decide what stories are told at National Park Service properties.

Parker said the city intends to seek a rehearing “on serious legal issues” presented in the appeals court decision.

Michael Coard, an attorney and founder of Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC), said the Philadelphia-based history preservation group continues to work on legal strategies opposing the Trump administration’s changing of the panels.

ATAC joined the city’s lawsuit.

Trump is attempting to rewrite history, Coard told reporters Wednesday near the site.

“What if there’s a president next time who doesn’t like the Liberty Bell because the Liberty Bell was used by abolitionists to support the end of slavery?” he said. “What if there’s a president who doesn’t like the Statue of Liberty because too many immigrants come in? Do we remove the Statue of Liberty?”

Williams reported from Detroit.

Visitors view the reinstalled educational panels about slavery at the site of President George Washington's home in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

Visitors view the reinstalled educational panels about slavery at the site of President George Washington's home in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

Visitors view the reinstalled educational panels about slavery at the site of President George Washington's home in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

Visitors view the reinstalled educational panels about slavery at the site of President George Washington's home in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

Visitors view the reinstalled educational panels about slavery at the site of President George Washington's home in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)