Keir Starmer will address MPs about the Ukraine crisis after meetings with Donald Trump and European leaders as he tries to build a ‘coalition of the willing’ to end the war
Watch live: Keir Starmer to give statement on Ukraine in the Commons
Keir Starmer will address MPs on peace plans for Ukraine after chairing an emergency summit in London.
The PM will update Parliament on his hopes of being a “bridge” between Europe and the US and anchoring a “coalition of the willing” to bring about an end to the war. On Sunday he hosted European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, three days after meeting Donald Trump in the White House.
Mr Starmer has said he wants Britain to play a leading role in bringing the fighting to an end – but said this cannot be done without US backing. In a speech at Lancaster House on Sunday he said: “We are at a crossroads in history. It is not a moment for more talk, it’s a time to act, a time to step up and lead, and to unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace.”
There is growing alarm over the Trump administration’s commitment to Europe after the US opened talks with Russia with Mr Zelensky locked out. And the Ukrainian leader endured a vile diatribe from Trump and JD Vance when he visited the Oval Office on Friday.
Mr Starmer insisted that Washington has not become an “unreliable ally” despite the spat, which he admitted made him feel “uncomfortable”. He has said the UK is prepared to put “boots on the ground and planes in the air” to enforce a peace agreement if one is reached – and called on allies to do the same.
Mr Starmer used a press conference to announce that Ukraine will be given £1.6billion of UK export finance to buy 5,000 air defence missiles, which will be made in Belfast. Following the historic talks he said leaders had agreed:
- To keep the military aid flowing and keep increasing the economic pressure on Russia
- That lasting peace must ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, and Ukraine must be at the table
- If a peace deal is reached, allies will keep boosting its defence capabilities to deter future invasions
- A ‘coalition of the willing’ will be set up to defend any deal and guarantee peace
The PM told the gathering of 18 other leaders and officials: “This is a once in a generation moment for the security of Europe and we all need to step up.”
It comes as the Government slapped down Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson after he said Ukraine should commit to a ceasefire before Russia does.
Lord Mandelson Mr Zelensky should “defy” tyrant Vladimir Putin to lay down Russian arms. But this idea was hosed down by Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, who said it’s “not Government policy”.
In an interview with ABC News, Lord Mandelson said the Ukrainian leader should “unequivocal backing” to Trump’s peace initiative. He said a “very radical reset” was needed after Friday’s spat.
He said: “The reset has to consist of the United States and Ukraine getting back on the same page, President Zelensky giving his unequivocal backing to the initiative that President Trump is taking to end the war and to bring a just and lasting peace to Ukraine.
“And the Europeans too, they need to back the calls for a ceasefire, and – by the way – I think that Ukraine should be the first to commit to a ceasefire and defy the Russians to follow.”
But asked whether Lord Mandelson’s remarks reflected Government policy, Mr Pollard told Sky News: “No. It’s certainly right that Ukrainians want peace. I think of all the people on our continent that want peace, the Ukrainians want it the most.
“But we’re still in discussions, diplomatic engagement with our European, US and Ukrainian friends as to the shape of that deal. But it’s certainly right that the war could stop tomorrow if President Putin stopped his illegal and unprovoked aggression. He could stop this war.”
