Don't trust Putin, Starmer warns Trump
The US president is due to hold face-to-face talks with the Russian president in Alaska on Friday as the White House pushes for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
European allies have been rallying around Kyiv ahead of the meeting, insisting that Ukraine must determine its own future, more than three years into Russia's full-scale invasion.
Asked on Monday whether Sir Keir Starmer thought Putin could be trusted, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'Never trust president Putin as far as you could throw him, but we obviously will support Ukraine.
'We will obviously support president Trump and European nations as we enter these negotiations.
'But it is exactly why we've been leading this work on the 'coalition of the willing', because any ceasefire, as I say, cannot just be an opportunity for president Putin to go away, re-arm, restrengthen, and then go again.
'So we're not going to leave it to trust. We're going to ensure that we're prepared such that we achieve a ceasefire.'
One point of contention as discussions play out behind closed doors is whether Russia should be handed Ukrainian land it does not yet control in return for a ceasefire.
Another is whether Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, should join the talks with Putin in Alaska. Mr Trump has said he is open to the idea but that is not yet planned.
Mr Trump has failed in his election campaign promise to deliver peace in Ukraine on his first day back in the White House, which came on Jan 21.
Since then he has issued fierce criticism of Mr Zelensky and Putin at times. Friday will mark Mr Trump's first in-person meeting with Putin since returning to the US presidency.
Mr Trump has been subject to strong criticism from a string of prominent traditional Republicans in the past for what was perceived as his soft stance towards Moscow and its security threat.
In recent months, Mr Trump has at times expressed exasperation with Putin over his continued military assault on Ukraine despite the US president's demands for peace.
When in mid-July the BBC asked if he trusted Putin, Mr Trump replied: 'I trust almost nobody.'
The specifics of the terms of peace set to be discussed on Friday remain unclear, with Trump administration figures and Western government officials not going into the details in public.
The Wall Street Journal reported at the weekend that Russia is proposing that parts of the Ukrainian-held Donetsk region are traded in return for a ceasefire – a position being rejected by Ukraine and its allies.
Downing Street did not get into the specifics of proposals when asked to comment on Monday morning, but reiterated that it is Kyiv, not Moscow, which must have the final say.
'Up to Ukraine to determine its future'
Asked about the possibility of Russia getting Ukrainian-held land as part of a ceasefire deal, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'It is up to Ukraine to determine its future. There can be no reward for aggression.'
The spokesman added: 'There can be no compromise to Ukraine's sovereignty. Any peace must be built with Ukraine deciding its own future. We will stand by Ukraine and we will support Ukraine.'
The spokesman did not explicitly call for Mr Zelensky to attend the talks, saying it is up to the US to determine who joins the meeting.
But the spokesman did say: 'We have always been clear that the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.'
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