Science Secretary Peter Kyle has said that securing a security guarantee if a Ukraine peace deal is reached is the PM’s number one priority – but Donald Trump has so far refused to commit
A security deal for peace in Ukraine will be Keir Starmer’s top priority in his meeting with Donald Trump this afternoon, a Labour minister has said.
Science Secretary Peter Kyle said the PM would be pushing for a US guarantee that it will commit to a peacekeeping mission. It comes after Mr Starmer said he was prepared to commit British troops if a deal is secured – so long as the United States does the same.
The Cabinet member declined to say what will happen if Trump refuses to give such an assurance. The US President said on Wednesday that he was not going to make security guarantees, sparking fears that tyrant Vladimir Putin could be appeased.
Mr Kyle told Sky News: “Ukraine is the number one item. There’s a lot of this going to be on the agenda, of course. When do you come to these sorts of meetings both sides will have different priorities.
“The idea is for the first meeting is to build a relationship, is to establish the special relationship for the era that we are living in. But Ukraine is of particular pointed importance at this moment in time, because we’re in the middle of this process where it looks like we will be negotiating a way forward. Hopefully that leads to peace.”
Trump has already met with French President Macron, who warned him against a “surrender” to Vladimir Putin. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to the US later this week.
Mr Kyle said: “It’s a really important week. What we’re pushing for obviously, is a sustainable peace that respects the sovereignty, the land integrity of Ukraine. That’s what we’re pushing for.
“And of course, where there is a difference between all the parties, and President Zelensky – whose voice is the most important one through this – we want to make sure that we find common ground going forward.”
Pressed on what will happen if the US fails to provide a security guarantee, Mr Kyle said: “Well, the Prime Minister has said very, very clearly that that is what he is pushing for. We’ve been quite explicit about that.
“And of course, the Prime Minister was speaking frequently to President Zelensky through this process. So I’m not going to talk about what might or might not come out of these discussions.
“President Zelensky is there later in the week as well. But right now that is what we believe is the best way forward.”
It comes after Mr Starmer warned the US President that Russia could plunge Europe into war again if there’s a botched Ukraine peace deal ahead of crunch talks in Washington.
The Prime Minister will hold a pivotal meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday, where he’ll battle to persuade Mr Trump not to betray Kyiv as the security of the continent hangs in the balance. Ahead of the talks, Mr Starmer insisted Mr Trump was on side against Vladimir Putin – despite his attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, who he has accused of starting the war and branded a “dictator”.
In a make-or-break week, President Zelensky is expected to visit the White House on Friday to discuss a deal to give the US access to Ukraine’s valuable minerals. Mr Trump wants to claw back cash after complaining the US spent too much supporting Ukraine.
But no security guarantees have been agreed – something Kyiv regards as critical. European leaders are pushing for a US “backstop” to any Ukraine peace agreement to stop Russia from attacking again.
