Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will come together and show a ‘united leadership in support of Ukraine’ when they each meet Donald Trump in the coming days_Nhy
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed to both discuss showing ‘united leadership in support of Ukraine‘ when they meet separately with Donald Trump this week.
Downing Street confirmed in a statement that the pair will show a joint front over their stance on Ukraine when meeting with the US President in the coming days.
The Prime Minister and French president used a phone call on Sunday afternoon to reiterate their support for Kyiv as the pair gear up for their visit Washington DC.
It comes after White House and Kremlin officials met for discussions on ending the war and as tensions simmer after Mr Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a ‘dictator’ last week.
The Labour leader will meet Mr Trump next Thursday, after the French president visits him on Monday.
It comes amid an astonishing spat between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The US president called Zelensky a ‘dictator’ on Wednesday and astounded European capitals by suggesting Ukraine started the conflict with Russia.
Both Sir Keir and Mr Macron have also suffered the wrath of the US President wrath themselves saying that the pair ‘haven’t done anything’ to end the war.
Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Emmanuel Macron (right) have agreed to both discuss showing ‘united leadership in support of Ukraine ‘ when they meet separately with Donald Trump this week, Downing Street has said
The French president Mr Macron (right) visits US President Donald Trump (left) on Monday
Sir Keir will meet Mr Trump next Thursday where he hopes to shape his view after the US President opened peace talks with Russia
A Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘The Prime Minister spoke with President Macron this afternoon.
‘They began by discussing the third anniversary of Russia’s barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is a stark reminder that we must all work together to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position at this crucial moment for global security.
‘The Prime Minister repeated the UK’s steadfast commitment to support Ukraine for as long as needed and reiterated the importance of Ukraine being at the centre of any negotiations to end the conflict.
‘The UK and Europe must continue stepping up to meet their security needs and show united leadership in support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, which they would both discuss in the US in the coming week.
‘The leaders agreed to stay in close contact.’
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.
He 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.
The US president called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a ‘dictator’ on Wednesday
Both Sir Keir (right) and Mr Macron (left) have also suffered the wrath of the US President wrath themselves saying that the pair ‘haven’t done anything’ to end the war
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
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 hoping to shape Mr Trump’s view after the US President opened peace talks with Russia, while imploring Europe to take responsibility for their own defence.
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.
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.
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’.
Ahead of his trip to Washington, Sir Keir warned Donald Trump (right) against striking a bad peace deal over Ukraine that would allow Vladimir Putin (left) to attack again
‘We better be close to a deal because that has been a horrible situation,’ he said.
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.
Mr Zelensky (left) has said his country will not accept any outcome from talks that have taken place between Russia and the US
The Telegraph reported, in the wake of Mr Trump’s warnings, Sir Keir is considering boosting defence spending sooner than previously thought.
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.
