Starmer’s plan to bridge gap between Trump and Europe ‘not easy’, says Reynolds

Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to act as a bridge between US President Donald Trump and Europe on the Ukraine war is “not going to be easy”, a Cabinet minister acknowledged.

The Prime Minister will join European leaders at an emergency summit called by Emmanuel Macron on Monday, as they consider how to respond to Mr Trump’s push for an end to the war in Ukraine.

He will then take the message from Europe to the US when he visits Mr Trump later this month.

A further meeting of European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is likely when Sir Keir returns from his US trip.

The meeting on Monday will see Mr Macron and Sir Keir joined by leaders from Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark along with the presidents of the European Council and European Commission and the secretary general of Nato.

The Prime Minister said: “This is a once-in-a-generation moment for our national security where we engage with the reality of the world today and the threat we face from Russia.

“It’s clear Europe must take on a greater role in Nato as we work with the United States to secure Ukraine’s future and face down the threat we face from Russia.

“The UK will work to ensure we keep the US and Europe together. We cannot allow any divisions in the alliance to distract from the external enemies we face.”

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the UK was well placed to try to keep the Western allies together.

He told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “There is definitely, from the US administration, a view towards Europe and there’s a slightly different view towards ourselves in the UK.

“Both markets, both allies, will always be fundamentally important to us but I do think we can play a constructive role in this.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, there’s a very assertive agenda from the US.”

Mr Reynolds also said the need for increased defence spending is widely recognised, including by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The Sunday Times reported that Sir Keir held one-to-one meetings on Friday with the Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin and the heads of the armed services, who are calling for spending to increase to a 2.65% share of the economy.

Labour has pledged to increase spending from its current 2.3% of gross domestic product to 2.5%, although no timetable has been set out for that increase.

Mr Reynolds told Sky News: “The whole Cabinet, the whole Government, I think most people in this country recognise the pressures the world is under, recognise more will have to be spent on defence.

“Now the spending review will set out the roadmap towards that target.”

The Chancellor will set out the multi-year plan for public spending on June 11, which is expected to set out how the UK will increase the share spent on defence to 2.5%.

“The Chancellor knows more than most people the pressures on public services across the board, but defence has to be the cornerstone of our national prosperity as well as our security,” Mr Reynolds said.

“There’s a whole range of things the UK does. Our contribution to the intelligence services, for instance, should be considered, I think, as part of that contribution to collective Western security.”

Asked whether British troops could form part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed, he said: “We always say we’ll play our part in a peace settlement. It’s a little bit hypothetical at this stage, but of course it’s in our national interests to make sure that’s a durable peace.”

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel would not be drawn on whether she would back a British deployment to police a ceasefire.

“I’m not even going to comment on that suggestion because it’s pure speculation, these are very early days,” she told Sky News.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the Munich Security Conference underlined that the US was more focused on China and Europe would have to do “more of that heavy lifting” in respect of Russia.

He told GB News: “What we’ve had in Munich is basically a wake-up call, which is that we do need to do more as European Nato members, we do need to spend more on defence, and that’s true in the United Kingdom.”

Mr Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine suggested on Saturday that European leaders would be sidelined from negotiations on a peace deal, heightening concerns on the continent about the possible appeasement of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Zelensky said a new European army might be needed in future if the US cannot be relied on to guarantee the security of the continent.

Mr Zelensky said “we can’t rule out the possibility that America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it”.

At the Munich Security Conference Mr Zelensky said: “A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at the table. That says a lot.

“The old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had.”

Washington has suggested Nato membership for Ukraine could be off the table and Mr Zelensky will have to cede territory to Russia as part of any deal to end the war.

US officials and Russian counterparts are expected to hold talks in Saudi Arabia before an anticipated meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin.

Mr Zelensky said: “Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement.”

Mr Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said European leaders will not have a place at the negotiating table in a discussion to end the Ukraine war, despite the fact that European forces are likely to play a major role in securing any peace deal.

Mr Kellogg said the negotiations would be between Russia and Ukraine, with Mr Trump acting as mediator – but Europe would still be able to have an input.