Keir Starmer will jet to Washington, DC, to stand side-by-side with the Ukrainian wartime leader and a host of European allies to discuss an end to Russia’s bloody invasion
Keir Starmer and European leaders will take a united stand with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky during crunch talks with Donald Trump at the White House.
The Prime Minister will jet to Washington, DC, on Monday to stand side-by-side with the Ukrainian wartime leader and a host of allies to discuss an end to Russia’s bloody invasion. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, are all set to flank Mr Zelensky.
They will be joined by Mark Rutte, the NATO General Secretary, and the European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who said she was joining “at the request of President Zelensky”. It follows Mr Trump and Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin’s face-to-face summit in Alaska on Friday where no deal was reached on a ceasefire in three-year conflict in Ukraine.
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European leaders will be hoping to swerve a repeat of explosive scenes in the Oval Office back in February when Mr Trump and US Vice President JD Vance publicly ambushed Mr Zelensky. In scenes broadcast to millions worldwide, Mr Trump pointed his finger at Ukraine’s leader and warned he was “gambling with World War Three”.
In an attempt to humiliate Ukraine’s leader, who left the White House earlier than planned during the showdown in February, Mr Vance asked: “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” In a stark contrast the red-carpet was rolled out for Putin on Friday as he shared a journey with Mr Trump in The Beast – the nickname given to Presidential limo.
During a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing – a group of 30-plus nations prepared to police any peace in Ukraine – it is understood Mr Starmer said on Sunday European partners are unified in their support for Ukraine. The PM, who chaired yesterday’s meeting alongside Mr Macron, also told those present the group’s military planning was at an advanced stage.
After the virtual meeting wrapped up a Downing Street spokesman said leaders on the call discussed “support for Ukraine and next steps in peace negotiations following President Trump’s meeting with President Putin in Alaska”. They added: “The Leaders reaffirmed their continued support to Ukraine, and praised President Zelenskyy’s desire for a just and lasting peace as he prepares for further consultations with President Trump in Washington DC.
“The leaders also commended President Trump’s commitment to providing security guarantees to Ukraine, in which the Coalition of the Willing will play a vital role through the Multinational Force Ukraine, among other measures. They re-emphasised the readiness to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased, and to help secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces. “
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It comes as the US President is said to be mulling the Kremlin’s demands to bring an end to the war, which includes a land grab of two Ukrainian regions – Donetsk and Luhansk. But speaking on Sunday, Mr Zelensky warned: “Russia is still unsuccessful in the Donetsk region. Putin has been unable to take it for 12 years. The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible, impossible, to give up territory or trade land.” He added territorial issues could only be discussed at a meeting with the US, Russia and Ukraine all around the table.
Special US envoy Steve Witkoff claimed the Russians had conceded in talks to “game-changing” security guarantees to Ukraine. He said the US would be able to offer an “Article 5-like protection”. NATO’s Article 5 states that an armed attack against one ally should be considered an attack against them all. Mr Witkoff added that it “was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.”
Speaking in Brussels on Sunday alongside the Ukrainian President, Ms von der Leyen also gave the EU’s full support to Kyiv. She said: “Europe has been at Ukraine’s side, united, and we will support you for as long as it takes, for just and lasting peace.”
And the EU chief warned: “International borders cannot be changed by force, these are decisions to be made by Ukraine, and Ukraine alone. These decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table. She added: “These are challenging times. Only Ukraine can choose its own destiny, but Ukraine can always count on Europe.”
Mr Zelensky said Russia was complicating efforts to get a ceasefire in Ukraine in a post on X. He said: “We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing. This complicates the situation.”
He added: “If they lack the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbours for decades. But together we are working for peace and security. Stopping the killing is a key element of stopping the war.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said of Friday’s talks with Russia: “We made progress in the sense that we identified potential areas of agreement, but there remains some big areas of disagreement. So we’re still a long ways off.”
But he repeated Mr Trump’s warning that there will be “additional consequences” for Russia if there is a failure to reach a ceasefire agreement. He told ABC News: “Now, ultimately, if there isn’t a peace agreement, if there isn’t an end of this war, the president’s been clear, there are going to be consequences. But we’re trying to avoid that. And the way we’re trying to avoid those consequences is with an even better consequence, which is peace, the end of hostilities.”
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