Keir Starmer to join European leaders for Trump-Zelensky meeting in Washington
The Prime Minister and a host of European leaders will travel to Washington DC in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian leader, whose last visit to the Oval Office ended in a tumultuous spat with Mr Trump.
The US president is said to be mulling over Russia's demands to bring an end to the war, which include a land grab of two occupied Ukrainian regions: Donetsk and Luhansk.
Several media outlets have reported Mr Trump is planning to urge his Ukrainian counterpart to agree to the conditions as part of a peace deal to end the war.
The meeting follows the US president's summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, where little in the way of progress appeared to be made.
However in the summit's aftermath, Mr Trump appeared to adopt a change of tone in his language about brokering a peace, moving away from insisting that a ceasefire is needed before a long-term agreement to end the war is made.
This appeared to echo Mr Putin's refusal to lay down arms ahead of a sustained peace.
Other leaders making the journey to Washington with Sir Keir include France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Finland's Alexander Stubb, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Nato chief Mark Rutte.
The leaders are likely travelling to the White House with the aim of avoiding a repeat performance of February's public bust-up between Mr Zelensky and the American president, after which Mr Trump temporarily suspended aid to Ukraine.
Downing Street insisted Sir Keir and other allies stand ready to support the next phase of talks to end the war.
On Saturday Sir Keir commended Mr Trump for bringing the conflict 'closer than ever' to an end.
The Prime Minister, along with France and Germany's leaders, will host a call of the coalition of the willing on Sunday afternoon.
The coalition force aims to police a future peace deal by putting troops on the ground in Ukraine to deter Russian aggression.
European leaders on Saturday suggested Mr Trump had indicated he is now willing to provide American air support for the alliance, a 'security guarantee' said to be vital to its operation.
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