Starmer tells Zelensky he will press case for safeguards with Trump

Sir Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelensky he will make the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty in talks with Donald Trump next week as European leaders scramble to contain a growing transatlantic rift.

In a call with the Ukrainian president on Saturday morning, the Prime Minister said he would be “progressing important discussions” about Kyiv’s security on his visit to Washington, Downing Street said.

Sir Keir will meet Mr Trump in the coming days for what will be a critical moment in his leadership amid fragile relations between America and Europe after the US leader launched an extraordinary verbal attack on Mr Zelensky.

In a readout of the call, a Number 10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister began by reiterating the UK’s ironclad support for Ukraine and commitment to securing a just and enduring peace to bring an end to Russia’s illegal war.

“The Prime Minister repeated that Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations to end the war and that safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty was essential to deter future aggression from Russia.

“The Prime Minister said he would be progressing these important discussions in the coming days and weeks, including with US President Trump whilst visiting Washington DC next week. The leaders agreed to stay in close contact.”

Mr Zelensky said the talk had been “productive” and “co-ordinated our military co-operation, joint steps, and engagements for the coming week, which will be very active”.

In separate comments, Sir Keir also warned that a poor peace deal would be a “disaster” for all involved and argued that a US security guarantee, which he has said should be a part of any ceasefire, is in America’s own interest.

On Wednesday, the US president called Ukraine’s leader a “dictator” and later said the British Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom will visit the White House next week, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.

In an article for the Sun on Sunday, the Prime Minister wrote that Mr Trump, whose team have been holding talks about ending the war with the Kremlin, was “right to grasp the nettle and see if a good peace deal is on the table.”

But he added: “(Ukraine) needs strong security guarantees so the peace will last. I believe America must be part of that guarantee. It’s in their interest.

“A peace deal which does not stop Putin from attacking again would be a disaster for everyone.”

Some European leaders have openly condemned Mr Trump’s remarks about Ukraine, which have included suggesting Kyiv “started” the war, and Sir Keir has faced pressure to challenge the president when he visits Washington.

Britain has so far sought to strike a delicate balance between supporting Ukraine and keeping the White House, which has been holding talks with the Kremlin on ending the war, onside.

However, the Prime Minister, along with other European allies and UK opposition parties, backed Mr Zelensky as a “democratically elected leader” after Mr Trump called him a “dictator without elections”.

Sir Keir also spoke with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday morning and in the afternoon with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, with whom he agreed that Europe must “step up” support for the security of the continent.

“Ahead of the three-year anniversary of Russia’s barbaric illegal war, they discussed the need to secure a just and enduring peace in Ukraine, and agreed that Europe must step up for the good of collective European security,” a Downing Street spokesperson said of his meeting with Ms von der Leyen.

Both the Prime Minister and Mr Macron will visit Washington next week after the US President said of the two leaders in a Fox News interview: “They haven’t done anything.

“Macron is a friend of mine, and I’ve met with the Prime Minister and he’s a very nice guy (but) nobody’s done anything.”

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK, France and other allies have been providing Kyiv with weapons and aid.

Mr Trump also said the Ukrainian president had “no cards” in peace negotiations.

Following Washington’s warning that Europe must shoulder more of the cost of its own security, Sir Keir is expected to use his upcoming trip to confirm a timeline to raise UK defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in a bid to ease tensions.

It comes amid pressure from defence chiefs and opposition critics including Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who wrote to the Prime Minister on Saturday demanding he set out a plan for meeting the target.

In a letter Sir Keir, she said: “I will always back you when you do the right thing. But I will not be silent about the risks facing our country and our security.

“History has been unforgiving to politicians who, faced with growing threats, chose procrastination over action.”

Ministers had previously said they will wait until the conclusion of the strategic defence review before they outline how they will meet their commitment to meet the 2.5% figure.

The Prime Minister is also set to extend an invitation for a state visit to Mr Trump – a known admirer of the royal family.

Meanwhile, the US leader used a wide-ranging speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Washington on Saturday to say he thought “we’re pretty close to a deal”.

“We better be close to a deal because that has been a horrible situation,” he added.

Mr Zelensky has said his country will not accept any outcome from talks that have taken place between Moscow and Washington since Kyiv was excluded from the discussions.

European allies have also expressed concerns that they are being sidelined.

On Friday, Mr Trump appeared to walk back his earlier comments that falsely blamed Kyiv for starting the war, but insisted that Mr Zelensky and former US president Joe Biden should have done more to come to terms with Mr Putin.

“Russia attacked, but they shouldn’t have let him attack,” he said.

Moscow’s army crossed the border on February 24 2022, in an all-out invasion that Vladimir Putin sought to justify by falsely saying it was needed to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and prevent the country from joining Nato.

Later on Friday, at the Oval Office, Mr Trump told reporters that the war “doesn’t affect the United States very much. It’s on the other side of the ocean. It does affect Europe”.