Keir Starmer has stepped away from Donald Trump’s words on Ukraine by claiming the country is on an “irreversible path” to joining Nato.
Kyiv has long asked to join the defence alliance in the hope that it would protect it from Vladimir Putin’s expansionist aims.
But, after his discussions with Vladimir Putin, the US president seemed to suggest Ukraine should give up its Nato ambitions and cede occupied territory to Russia to end the war.
So it was a surprise when the UK prime minister seemed to contradict Trump today, when he told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that his country is on course to joining the alliance.
In a readout about their conversation – provided by No.10 – a spokeswoman said: “Ukraine needed strong security guarantees, further lethal aid and a sovereign future, and it could count on the UK to step up, [Starmer] added.
“The prime minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato, as agreed by allies at the Washington Summit last year.”
The government has been treading very carefully around Trump since he returned to office and avoiding either criticising him or directly contradicting his suggestions on issues such as trade.
But on Ukraine, Starmer has stepped out from Trump’s shadow. Yesterday, the PM called Putin the “aggressor” in the Ukraine war after the US president seemed to lay the blame at Kyiv’s feet.
Starmer was also “unequivocal that there could be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine” in his call with Zelenskyy, amid worries that Russia and the US would come to an agreement about ending the war without Kyiv.
The PM reiterated Britain’s “concrete support for Ukraine for as long as it’s needed” and promised “strong security guarantees, further lethal aid and a soverign future”, too.
Zelenskyy soon issued his own readout of the call, saying he thanked the PM “for all the UK’s support and emphasised that we deeply value Britain’s leadership”.
He added: “The Ukrainian and American teams must work together with European and all our global partners to achieve concrete results.”
Alluding to Starmer’s words on Nato, the Ukrainian president said: “The security of each nation depends on strengthening our collective security.
“It is crucial that every new week brings tangible results that will ensure a lasting and reliable peace.”
Starmer also spoke to Trump on the phone last night while he was hosting his special envoy to the UK, Mark Burnett, although Downing Street offered no further details on the conversation with the US president.
According to the readout from No.10, “Burnett and the prime minister agreed on the unique and special nature of the UK-US relationship, the strength of our alliance, and the warmth of the connection between the two countries.”
It added: “Burnett reflected on his personal connections to the UK, and his mother’s experience working part-time in Downing Street as a waitress over 30 years ago.
“They emphasised the huge potential for even stronger collaboration on trade, tech and cultural matters between the US and the UK, and looked forward to working together.”