A “US security guarantee” is the only path to peace in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Speaking in Paris after an emergency summit with European leaders, the prime minister said a “US backstop” is the “only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again”.
And he said the future of Ukraine is not the only thing at stake.
European leaders at the security summit in Paris. Pic: Number 10/Flickr
“It is an existential question for Europe as a whole, and therefore vital for Britain’s national interests,” he added.
“This is a once in a generation moment for the collective security of our continent.”
It is a “new era”, he said, in which nations cannot “cling hopelessly to the comforts of the past”.
Any peace deal for Ukraine must “safeguard its sovereignty” and deter Russian leader Vladimir Putin from engaging in “further aggression in the future”, Sir Keir added.
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Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron in Paris: Pic: Number 10/Flickr
The prime minister joined the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark and the European Union at the Elysee Palace in Paris, alongside NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.
The meeting was called by French President Emmanuel Macron after Donald Trump shocked continental leaders by arranging bilateral talks between the US and Russia – excluding Europe and Ukraine.
The talks are set to begin in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Sir Keir however insisted that “Europe must play its role”, adding: “I’m prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground alongside others if there is a lasting peace agreement.
“So I will go to Washington next week to meet President Trump and discuss what we see as the key elements of a lasting peace.”
It is “clear the US is not going to leave NATO”, Sir Keir said.
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He added: “But we Europeans will have to do more. The issue of burden sharing is not new, but it is now pressing and Europeans will have to step up, both in terms of spending and the capabilities that we provide.
“I spoke to President Zelenskyy on Friday. I will do so again in the coming days. And we envisage further [engagement] with European colleagues when I return from the US.”
Britain will “take a leading responsibility, as we always have”, the prime minister said, adding that “democracy must prevail”.
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Mr Trump stunned Ukraine and Europe last week when he announced he had called Mr Putin to discuss ending the war, without consulting them.
Leaders have been left scrambling to confront a new future in which they have less US protection and support and must do more to ensure the security of their own continent.
Asked by Sky News’s Europe correspondent, Adam Parsons, whether the US has undermined the UK, Europe and Ukraine by unilaterally starting talks with Russia, Sir Keir said the US wanted “lasting peace”, as did Ukraine, before reiterating his point about a “US backstop” being necessary to support any security guarantees.