Keir Starmer put on a united front with Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders today as they marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Ahead of a potentially stormy showdown with Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, the PM told a summit that Kyiv must be involved in peace talks for a deal to ‘endure’.
He pleaded for ‘unity’ insisting Vladimir Putin does not hold ‘all the cards’ and had seen his military and economy downgraded,
But speaking by video-link Sir Keir said that Mr Trump’s dramatic shift had ‘changed the conversation’ and created an ‘opprtunity’ for a breakthrough.
The gathering comes amid mounting alarm in Western states about America’s move to launch negotiations with Putin and sideline Nato. Mr Zelensky has also so far been shut out of the discussions, with Mr Trump even branding him a ‘dictator’.
Sir Keir reiterated Britain’s ‘ironclad’ backing for Kyiv in a series of chats with allies over the weekend as he make the case for safeguards to protect the country’s sovereignty.
But he is walking a tightrope as he tries to maintain the ‘Special Relationship’ with Mr Trump, who has taken an axe to long-standing alliances. After topping German elections overnight, the next Chancellor Freidrich Merz attacked interference from the US and warned that Europe could no longer rely on the superpower.
Sir Keir said Mr Trump had ‘changed the global conversation over the last few weeks’.
‘It has created an opportunity. Now we must get the fundamentals right,’ Sir Keir added.
He went on: ‘If we want peace to endure, Ukraine must have a seat at the table, and any settlement must be based on a sovereign Ukraine backed up with strong security guarantees.
‘The UK is ready and willing to support this with troops on the ground, with other Europeans and with the right conditions in place, and ultimately, a US backstop will be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion in just a few years’ time.
‘So we will do everything we can to get the best outcome for Ukraine and for us all.’
Sir Keir said the UK and its allies must ‘keep dialling up the economic pressure to get Putin to a point where he is ready not just to talk, but to make concessions’.
Speaking via video link to a conference of global leaders in Kyiv, the Prime Minister added: ‘So today, we’re announcing the UK’s largest packet of sanctions since the early days of the war, going after Russia’s shadow fleet and going after companies in China and elsewhere who are sending military components.
‘Later today, I will be discussing further steps with the G7 and I’m clear that the G7 should be ready to take on more risk, including the oil price cap, sanctioning Russia’s oil giants and going after the banks that are enabling the evasion of sanctions.’
Touring broadcast studios this morning, security minister Dan Jarvis was asked how Sir Keir would address Mr Trump’s claims that Mr Zelensky is a dictator.
He told Sky News: ‘President Zelensky was democratically elected, and I’m sure that the Prime Minister will have very good and constructive conversations with the president.
‘We have shared interests in a range of different areas, not least in terms of our national security.
‘We’re three years on now from Putin’s illegal invasion. This is a very important opportunity to have conversations about how we can draw that conflict to a conclusion.’
Asked whether the Home Office’s new package of sanctions against Russian elites was irrelevant if America did not follow suit, Mr Jarvis said: ‘It certainly isn’t irrelevant. What it is is a tightening of the screw, applying more pressure to Russia.’
Meanwhile, the Home Office announced a move to widen travel sanctions for Kremlin-linked elites in a bid to heap more pressure on Russia as the war enters its fourth year.
Local and federal politicians as well as managers or directors of large Russian companies will face exclusion from the UK under the rules, which come on top of existing travel bans on high-profile business figures such as Roman Abramovich.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: ‘Keeping the Ukrainians in their fight and as strong as possible at any negotiating table is critical not only for them, but for the security of the UK.
‘These new measures send a powerful message that we will do what it takes to turn the tables on Putin’s aggression.’
Security minister Dan Jarvis said the expanded criteria for sanctions would ‘slam the door shut to the oligarchs who have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people whilst bankrolling’ the war.
‘My message to Putin’s friends in Moscow is simple: you are not welcome in the UK,’ he said.
The Prime Minister will seek to position the UK as a bridge between Europe and America on his visit next week as tensions simmer after Mr Trump hit out at Mr Zelensky and White House officials met Kremlin counterparts to discuss ending the war.
Yesterday No10 said Sir Keir had agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron – who will meet the US president in Washington today – that they will show ‘united leadership’ in support of Kyiv.
He also held a call with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, who is set to chair the joint call.
The readout said they both believed ‘working together alongside other international leaders was essential to achieve lasting peace and security in Ukraine’.
The PM also held his second discussion in three days with the Ukrainian president, promising he would be ‘progressing important discussions’ about Kyiv’s security on his visit to Washington.
He reiterated that Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations to end the war and that safeguarding its sovereignty was essential to deter future aggression from Russia.
Sir Keir’s visit will mark a critical moment in his leadership as he seeks to balance support for Kyiv with keeping the US onside after Mr Trump called Mr Zelensky a ‘dictator’ and suggested Ukraine had ‘started’ the war.
The Ukrainian leader later accused Mr Trump of living in a ‘disinformation space’ after US-Kremlin talks about bringing the conflict to an end.
Mr Zelensky has said he would be ready to give up his presidency if doing so would achieve lasting peace for his country under the security umbrella of Nato – something the US has effectively ruled out.
Some European leaders and opposition figures have openly condemned Mr Trump’s remarks about Ukraine and Sir Keir has faced pressure to challenge the president when he visits Washington.
The Prime Minister has backed Mr Zelensky as a ‘democratically elected leader’, but avoided directly criticising the US president.
At the weekend, Sir Keir and his Cabinet warned that a weak peace deal would cause damage far beyond Ukraine, saying that including a US security guarantee to deter Russia from attacking again is in Washington’s own interest.
Speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow yesterday, Sir Keir said: ‘Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue, least of all the Ukrainians.
‘But after everything that they have suffered, after everything they have fought for, there can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term, secure future.’
Sir Keir is also facing pressure to use the trip to confirm a timeline to raise UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national income amid US demands that Europe shoulder the overwhelming burden of security on the continent.
Ministers had previously suggested a path towards reaching the target would be set out in the spring following the strategic defence review.
Mr Trump used a wide-ranging speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Washington on Saturday to say ‘we’re pretty close to a deal’.
‘We better be close to a deal because that has been a horrible situation,’ he added.