Keir Starmer to join European leaders for Trump-Zelensky meeting in Washington

Glasgow Times

8 hours ago

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.
President Donald Trump listens during a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
However in the summit's aftermath, Mr Trump appeared to adopt a change of tone in his language about brokering a peace deal, 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.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels (AP)
Downing Street insisted Sir Keir and other allies stand ready to support the next phase of talks to end the war.
'At the meeting that will take place at the White House tomorrow, the Prime Minister, with other European partners, stands ready to support this next phase of further talks and will reaffirm that his backing for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes,' a statement from No 10 said.
Speaking in Brussels, Ms von der Leyen said Ukraine cannot be carved up without it having a seat at the table in negotiations.
Standing alongside Mr Zelensky at a press conference ahead of the so-called coalition of the willing meeting, the EU chief said: 'With regards to any territorial questions in Ukraine, our position is clear: international borders cannot be changed by force.
'These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.'
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a video conference with Ms von der Leyen and Mr Zelensky (Philippe Magoni, Pool/AP)
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.
Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump's special envoy, said Mr Putin had agreed to Nato-like protection for Ukraine for the first time at the Alaska summit.
'We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,' he told CNN.
A firefighter puts out a blaze after a Russian drone hit a market in the town of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region of Ukraine (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
Writing on social media on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian leader railed against Russia's refusal to lay down arms temporarily before agreeing to end the war.
Mr Zelensky said: 'We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing.
'This complicates the situation.'
He added: 'If they lack the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbours for decades.
'But together we are working for peace and security. Stopping the killing is a key element of stopping the war.'
Mr Zelensky was expected to attend Sunday afternoon's video call with leaders from the coalition of the willing, which was scheduled to begin at 2pm UK time.