Sir Keir Starmer has challenged the US President by explicitly stating that Ukraine must be allowed to decide the terms of a peace deal with Russia.
The UK Prime Minister’s public call to stand by the war-town country comes just hours after he took a swipe at Donald Trump.
The British leader told The Telegraph: ‘We are at an intense stage in the negotiations. In the end, I’m always mindful of the fact that it is Ukraine that must decide on those issues – it’s not for other people to decide on behalf of Ukraine.
‘It is for Ukraine to decide. And Russia must come to the table for that unconditional ceasefire.’
Starmer also contradicted Trump’s claim that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had been the aggressor whose decisions lead to the invasion of Ukraine.
When asked whether Zelensky was to blame for a peace deal not being signed, Starmer said: ‘No. Russia is the aggressor. Never forget that Zelensky was offered safe passage out of his country in the first week of the conflict.
‘At that point, everybody thought that Russia would succeed very quickly in its intent of taking over Ukraine.
‘And he stayed to fight and to lead his country, which he’s done with huge courage and resilience for over three years, as has his whole country. It’s Russia that needs to come to the table and agree to a ceasefire.’
It comes after Starmer insisted the latest deadly strikes on Ukraine are a ‘reminder that Russia is the aggressor’ after Trump‘s extraordinary rebuke to Volodymyr Zelensky.
The PM condemned the large scale drone attack on Kyiv believed to have killed at least nine people and injured another 70 – including six children.
The intervention came as the US president turned his ire on Vladimir Putin, venting frustration at the ‘unnecessary and badly-timed’ attack and appealing for him to ‘stop’.
The comment was a contrast to earlier this week when Mr Trump condemned Mr Zelensky for being ‘harder’ to deal with than Putin and refusing to give up territory for peace.
Russia’s combined missile and drone attack triggered fires, smashed buildings and buried residents under rubble in the Ukrainian capital.
At least 45 drones were detected, the Kyiv City Military Administration said, adding that Ukraine’s Air Force would update the figures later.
‘There has been destruction. The search is continuing for people under rubble,’ the State Emergency Service wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Asked for his reaction to the attacks as he visited Rolls-Royce in Bristol, Sir Keir told broadcasters: ‘I think it’s a real reminder that Russia is the aggressor here and that is being felt by the Ukrainians, as it has been felt for three long years now.
‘That’s why it’s important to get Russia to an unconditional ceasefire.
‘Obviously, we had talks in London this week, Paris last week. We’re making progress towards the ceasefire. It’s got to be a lasting ceasefire.
‘But these attacks – these awful attacks – are a real, human reminder of who is the aggressor here and the cost to the Ukrainian people.’
Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social site: ‘I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing.
‘Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!’
The attacks come at a critical moment in the war, as both Kyiv and Moscow are under pressure from the United States to show progress towards a peace deal.
Mr Trump and the Ukrainian President clashed again yesterday on efforts to end the three-year-old war in Ukraine, with Trump accusing him of ‘prolonging the ‘killing field’ by refusing to give up territory.
Trump warned the Ukrainian president he can ‘have peace, or he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country’.
The White House tried to turn the screw yesterday, with vice president JD Vance telling Kyiv to surrender land or the US would walk away.
But Zelensky is refusing to countenance any Russian claim to annexed Crimea, or hand over a fifth of the country to the Kremlin, as per the US-dictated deal put forward.
Earlier, Sir Keir insisted Britain is ‘sending a message’ to enemies today as he hailed HMS Prince of Wales deploying.
The PM boarded the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier as it heads towards the Indo-Pacific.
The strike group will travel to the Mediterranean, Middle East, south-east Asia, Japan and on an eight-month voyage, accompanied by escort ships from international allies.
Sir Keir – who was wearing a new ‘Prime Minister’ branded fleece for the occasion – told broadcasters that the UK’s role in global security was ‘hugely important’.
‘This is a mission that’s going to go across the entire world, down to the Indo-Pacific as well,’ he said.
‘It’s a UK sense of our leadership and a message to our adversaries but also an important UK message to our allies about the way that we work with our allies in what we do in our defence and security.
‘I’m very proud of what all the teams are doing here.’
He added: ‘We all know that the world is more uncertain than it felt a few months or years before – we’re in a new era.
‘That’s why we’ve doubled down on defence spending as a Government.’
Sir Keir was shown F-35 jets on board the carrier in Plymouth, Devon.
The Carrier Strike Group also includes destroyer HMS Dauntless and frigate HMS Richmond along with warships from Norway and Canada.
The deployment comes as US President Donald Trump pushes for Nato allies to do more to provide their own defence.
The £3billion carrier’s journey to the Indo-Pacific is also aimed at demonstrating the UK’s commitment to allies in the region nervous about China’s actions in relation to Taiwan and disputed sea lanes.
Around 4,000 UK military personnel from the Royal Navy, Army and RAF will join Operation Highmast, with allies from Spain and New Zealand also set to take part along with the Norwegian and Canadian personnel.
A contingent of 18 UK F-35B jets will join the carrier in the days after departure, with that number increasing to 24 during the deployment.
Also joining will be Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and Merlin Mk4 Commando and Wildcat helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton, as well as T-150 Malloy and Puma drones.