With the situation on the ground changing by the minute, Keir Starmer will push for a diplomatic solution as Iran and Israel exchange fire and Donald Trump weighs up his next move
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the NATO summit as the Middle East teeters on the brink.
Keir Starmer travels to the Netherlands on Tuesday for what have now become crisis talks after Iran retaliated against the US bombing of its nuclear sites by targeting an American base in Qatar.
With the situation on the ground changing by the minute, the Prime Minister will push for a diplomatic solution as Iran and Israel exchange fire and Donald Trump weighs up his next move.
Mr Trump was scheduled to attend the NATO summit but questions were raised over whether he would pull out, after he left last week’s G7 summit early as the Iran-Israel conflict intensified.
The high-level gathering was carefully planned to give the US President what he wants – a headline-grabbing hike in defence spending from members of the Western defensive alliance.
Mr Trump has ranted for years about European countries not paying their way, claiming the US’s allies have been freeloading off American security guarantees.
But the choreographed announcement to persuade Mr Trump to stand with Europe has been overshadowed by spiralling hostilities in the Middle East.
The PM’s focus now will be on convincing all parties to step back from the brink.
He has sought to cast himself as the peacemaker, and as a bridge between Europe and the US at a time of increasingly strained relations.
The PM wants to show Britain can be a leader in Europe, stepping up to defend Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky when Mr Trump kicked him out of the White House.
Along with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Starmer led the push for a “coalition of the willing” to enforce a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
But in reality, the PM and others are at the mercy of the unpredictable US President.