Sir Keir Starmer has warned Donald Trump against striking a bad peace deal over Ukraine that would allow Vladimir Putin to attack again.
The Prime Minister called on Western allies to be ‘firm and fair now’ in order to prevent the ‘disaster’ of Russia launching another invasion.
Sir Keir praised the resilience of Ukrainians, likening it to the British spirit during World War Two, before his upcoming meeting with President Trump at the White House.
He also told the US President, who is feared to have sided with Moscow, that providing a ‘security guarantee’ for Ukraine is in American interests.
The PM is jetting to Washington DC amid an astonishing spat between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Both Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron have also suffered the wrath of the US President wrath themselves.
The main objective of the meeting is for the Prime Minister to influence President Trump’s stance, especially following his peace negotiations with Russia and his call for European nations to enhance their defense capabilities.
In an effort to curry favor with the US President, Sir Keir is anticipated to commit to increased UK military expenditure and may extend an invitation for President Trump to visit Balmoral on a state visit.
Sir Keir Starmer has warned Donald Trump against striking a bad peace deal over Ukraine that would allow Vladimir Putin to attack again
Ahead of his trip to meet Mr Trump in the White House this week, Sir Keir hailed the ‘bulldog spirit’ of Ukrainians as he compared them with Brits during World War Two
A Ukrainian tank patrols in a village near Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv area, ahead of the upcoming third anniversary of Russia’s invasion
During his first spell in the White House, Mr Trump visited both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth II.
It means that Balmoral Castle, near to Mr Trump’s golf course in Aberdeenshire, is now being talked about as the venue for another trip to Britain.
In an article for the Sun on Sunday, the PM praised the US President for having ‘grasped the nettle’ by recently holding US-Russia peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
‘Every time I have spoken with him, I am struck by his commitment to peace,’ Sir Keir wrote.
‘And of course nobody in Britain wants the bloodshed to continue. Yet a good peace can only be won through strength.
‘Ukraine must have a voice in negotiations about its future. And it needs strong security guarantees so the peace will last.
‘I believe America must be part of that guarantee. It’s in their interest. A peace deal which does not stop Putin from attacking again would be a disaster for everyone.
‘The best way to make sure that doesn’t happen is to be firm and fair now.
‘That’s why I’m also open to British troops playing a role in any European force in Ukraine after a peace agreement. This is not something I say lightly.’
Speaking today at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow, Sir Keir said that ‘peace only comes through strength’.
‘Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue, least of all the Ukrainians,’ he added, as the PM warned against excluding Kyiv from negotiations with Russia.
‘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.’
He added: ‘I’ve seen first-hand the devastation Putin has caused. Mark my words – what I have seen only makes me more determined to stand up for Ukraine.’
Mr Trump’s administration recently demanded that European nations provide the ‘overwhelming’ share of funding for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion.
It has also warned that America will no longer shoulder responsibility for Europe’s security, which has piled pressure on Sir Keir to boost Britain’s defence spending.
Prior to July’s general election, Labour pledged to boost the military budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP – although the PM has refused to put a timeline on when this will be met.
The Telegraph reported, in the wake of Mr Trump’s warnings, Sir Keir is considering boosting defence spending sooner than previously thought.
One option would be to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2028 – two years faster than the previous Tory government promised.
But this would still only be half the 5 per cent that Mr Trump is demanding NATO allies commit to.
Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson today declined to say whether Sir Keir would confirm a timeline for the UK to hit the 2.5 per cent target when he meets Mr Trump.
The Education Secretary told Sky News: ‘We will be setting out how we get there.
‘What I can also say is that through the Budget, the Chancellor delivered an extra £3billion worth of investment into defence spending.
‘We know we’ve got to increase defence spending. We know that as a nation, alongside our European allies, we have got to play a bigger role in defence.’
Ms Phillipson later told the BBC that Labour’s 2.5 per cent target was ‘ambitious’, saying:Â ‘We will get there, but it is ambitious.
‘And this is also in the context of the public finances which, let’s be honest, were left in a devastating state by the Conservatives.
‘A £22billion black hole, no credible plan for this nonsense that they claim around how they were going to reach 2.5 per cent.’
Speaking to Times Radio in her round of media interviews, the Education Secretary also suggested the UK ultimately needs to go further than the 2.5 per cent target.
Asked whether the figure was enough, she said: ‘No it’s not enough, we do need to go further, we recognise that.
‘We recognise we need to go further, as do our allies, both in reaching that 2.5 per cent commitment.
‘But making sure we do everything that is necessary to keep our country safe.’
As part of his bid to woo the US President, it is expected Sir Keir will pledge greater UK defence spending and could also invite Mr Trump on a state visit to Balmoral Castle (pictured)
The PM is jetting to Washington DC amid an astonishing spat between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Sir Keir’s meeting with Mr Trump comes amid turbulent relations between the US and Europe.Â
The US president called Mr Zelensky a ‘dictator’ on Wednesday and astounded European capitals by suggesting Ukraine started the conflict with Russia.
Mr Trump later said Sir Keir and Mr Macron, who is also visiting Washington DC this week, ‘haven’t done anything’ to end the war.
The US President used a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Washington on Saturday to say he thought ‘we’re pretty close to a deal’.
‘We better be close to a deal because that has been a horrible situation,’ he said.
Mr Zelensky has said his country will not accept any outcome from talks that have taken place between Russia and the US since he was excluded from the discussions.
In a call with the Ukrainian President yesterday, Sir Keir promised Mr Zelensky he will make the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty in his talks with Mr Trump.
A No10 spokesperson said the PM had reiterated the UK’s ‘ironclad support for Ukraine and commitment to securing a just and enduring peace to bring an end to Russia’s illegal war’.
The spokesperson said Sir Keir had ‘repeated that Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations to end the war and that safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty was essential to deter future aggression from Russia’.
‘The PM said he would be progressing these important discussions in the coming days and weeks, including with US President Trump whilst visiting Washington DC next week,’ Downing Street added.
Russian forces crossed the Ukrainian border on February 24 2022, in an all-out invasion that Mr Putin sought to justify by falsely saying it was needed to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and prevent the country from joining NATO.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he will unveil new sanctions to ‘turn the screws’ on Russia on Monday to coincide with the third anniversary of the conflict.
