Keir Starmer and European leaders scramble to halt Donald Trump handing parts of Ukraine to Russia's Vladimir Putin at Alaska summit

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Sir Keir Starmer and European leaders will today put pressure on Donald Trump not to hand parts of Ukraine to Russia during his upcoming talks with Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister will join a call at lunchtime with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, France 's Emmanuel Macron and Germany 's Friedrich Merz.
They will then be joined by Mr Trump and US vice president JD Vance for an emergency virtual summit, ahead of Mr Trump's talks with Mr Putin in Alaska on Friday.
The US President is meeting the Russian leader as he attempts to fulfil his promise to bring to an end the three year-long conflict in Ukraine.
But there are worries in European capitals that Mr Trump will offer to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia as part of a ceasefire deal.
'There'll be some land swapping going on,' Mr Trump stated this week, although he also vowed to try and recover some of Ukraine's territory currently held by Russia.
Ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting, Mr Zelensky has declared he will not hand his country's eastern Donbas region to Russia as the price for peace.
He warned, if handed to the Kremlin, Mr Putin would merely use the region as a 'springboard for a future new offensive' on Ukraine.
Sir Keir is set to support Mr Zelensky's stance in Wednesday's call with Mr Trump, with the PM having insisted a peace deal 'must be built with Ukraine, not imposed upon it'.
Both the PM and EU leaders are also expected to argue that Mr Putin cannot be rewarded for his aggression against Ukraine by gaining territory.
A European diplomatic source told The i Paper that permanent changes to the Ukraine-Russia border would not be accepted.
They added that land swaps must be off the table in Mr Trump's discussions with Mr Putin.
But there are also reported tensions between the UK and EU capitals, with a British official revealing concerns about 'unhelpful running commentary' from European leaders about the Trump-Putin talks.
'Unlike our European colleagues, we are not publicly out there making demands of the Americans,' they told The Telegraph.
'A lot of the way the Europeans seem to be behaving, they're going to annoy the Americans, they're going to annoy Trump if they start making demands and if they put out red lines.'
It comes after Mr Merz and Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, both publicly called for Mr Zelensky to be allowed to attend the talks in Alaska.
Ms Kallas said: 'We cannot accept that territorial issues between Russia and America are discussed or even decided over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians.'
Later on Wednesday, Sir Keir will co-chair a meeting of the so-called 'coalition of the willing' meeting to update wider partners on the day's discussions.
The coalition of the willing is an international effort to support Ukraine towards a lasting peace, led by the UK, France and Ukraine.
It is made up of 31 countries that have pledged strengthened support for Kyiv, including 27 European countries, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Ahead of Wednesday's call, a Downing Street spokesperson said: 'The PM remains absolutely focused on a solution to this conflict grounded in Ukraine's national interests.
'He is determined to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, backed by robust and credible security guarantees that will deter Russia from threatening Ukraine in future.'
Mr Zelensky said at a news briefing on Tuesday that Mr Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30 per cent of the Donetsk region that Kyiv controls as part of a ceasefire deal.
This was conveyed to him by US officials, Mr Zelensky added.
However, he reiterated that Ukraine would not withdraw from territories it controls because it is unconstitutional and would only serve as a springboard for a future Russian invasion.
Mr Trump has also signalled he thinks Ukraine might need to cede territory in order to end the conflict, stating there is likely to be 'some land-swapping going on'.
Speaking during a lengthy press conference on Monday, Mr Trump pledged to 'try to get back' some of Ukraine's 'oceanfront property' from Russia.
He said: 'We're going to change the lines, the battle lines. Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They've occupied some very prime territory. We're going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine.
'They have taken largely – in real estate we call it oceanfront property. That's always the most valuable property.'
A statement released by the EU on Tuesday read: 'A just and lasting peace that brings stability and security must respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and that international borders must not be changed by force.
'The people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.
'Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities.'
In response, Mr Zelensky said on X (formerly Twitter): 'I am grateful to the leaders of Europe for their clear support for our independence, territorial integrity, and precisely such an active approach to diplomacy that can help end this war with a dignified peace.
'Indeed, We all support President Trump's determination, and together we must shape positions that will not allow Russia to deceive the world once again.
'We see that the Russian army is not preparing to end the war. On the contrary, they are making movements that indicate preparations for new offensive operations.
'In such circumstances, it is important that the unity of the world is not threatened.
'As long as they continue the war and the occupation, all of us together must maintain our pressure – the pressure of strength, the pressure of sanctions, the pressure of diplomacy.'