Sir Keir Starmer hailed Volodymyr Zelensky’s desire for a “just and lasting peace” ahead of joining him alongside European leaders in Washington on Monday for crucial talks with Donald Trump over the future of Ukraine.
The prime minister, along with France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Finland's Alexander Stubb, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Nato chief Mark Rutte, will travel to the White House 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 show of support from the “coalition of the willing” comes as Mr Trump appears poised to urge the Ukrainian leader to agree to a Russian land grab of his country’s territory.
Russian president Vladimir Putin is understood to have demanded full control of Donetsk and Luhansk as a condition for ending the war.
In exchange, he would give up other Ukrainian territories held by Russian troops, several news outlets said, attributing sources familiar with Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s negotiations in Alaska on Friday.
On Sunday Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy, said Mr Putin had agreed to Nato-like protection for Ukraine for the first time at the Alaska summit, despite initial fears that little progress had been made.
“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.
Article 5, at the heart of the 32-member military alliance, states that an armed attack against one or more of the members shall be considered an attack against all members.
Mr Witkoff’s claim appeared to be backed up by Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to international organisations in Vienna, who said late on Sunday that his country agreed with calls for security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.
On Sunday evening, following a meeting of the “coalition of the willing, a Downing Street spokesman said the group’s leaders “commended President Trump’s commitment to providing security guarantees to Ukraine”.
He added that they had reasserted a readiness to deploy a reassurance force once fighting had stopped to “help secure Ukraine’s skies and seas”.
“The leaders reaffirmed their continued support to Ukraine, and praised President Zelensky’s desire for a just and lasting peace as he prepares for further consultations with President Trump in Washington DC,” he said.
Speaking in Brussels alongside the Ukrainian president ahead of Monday’s meeting, Ms Von der Leyen also signalled that Ukraine’s borders cannot be seen to change through force.
“With regards to any territorial questions in Ukraine, our position is clear: international borders cannot be changed by force,” she said.
“These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.”
The EU chief also suggested Mr Trump’s move away from seeking a ceasefire with Russia ahead of a full peace agreement was not important, and claimed either arrangement would “stop the killing”.
She added: “It’s not the term itself, it’s the content that matters.”
Mr Zelensky said he “totally” agreed with Ms Von der Leyen, adding that negotiations needed to result in the “correct steps to have lasting peace, to stop Putin” rather than simply a pause in the war.
Posting on social media, he also railed against Russia’s refusal to lay down arms temporarily before agreeing to end the war.
“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 said.
“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.”
It came after European leaders on Saturday piled pressure on Mr Trump not to cave in to some of Mr Putin’s demands, reiterating that “no limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries”.
“Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to EU and Nato,” they added, reiterating that the “coalition of the willing” is “ready to play an active role”.
On Saturday, Sir Keir said President Trump has “brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine”, despite the US and Russian presidents confirming that no deal had been reached in the early hours of Saturday morning.
However, in a brief media appearance during which they offered little detail and refused to take questions from reporters, Mr Trump said “some great progress” was made with “many points” agreed and “very few” remaining.
Meanwhile, Mr Putin said the negotiations were “held in a constructive atmosphere” and raised the prospect of another meeting in Moscow – a suggestion which is likely to spark concern from those fearing the US president could capitulate to Russia’s demands.
In a statement on Monday, Sir Keir welcomed the US president’s suggestion that he could provide “robust security guarantees” to support Ukraine, but reiterated that the next step in the peace process “must be further talks involving President Zelensky” after Friday’s summit excluded the Ukrainian leader.
“[Donald Trump’s] leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended,” the prime minister added.
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