The “path to peace in Ukraine” cannot be decided without Volodymyr Zelensky, Sir Keir Starmer said, as he commended Donald Trump’s “pursuit of an end to the killing”.
The Prime Minister said the US president’s actions had “brought us closer than ever before” to an end to the war in Ukraine.
But he insisted insisted Ukraine’s leader must take part in future peace talks after speaking with Mr Trump and Nato allies in the wake of the US president’s negotiations with Vladimir Putin.
The American leader had hoped to secure a peace deal from the talks in Alaska, but both he and his Russian counterpart walked away without agreement on how to end the war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump, however, insisted “some great progress” was made, with “many points” agreed and “very few” remaining.
Ukraine’s president Mr Zelensky is due to fly to Washington DC on Monday to meet Mr Trump, with the aim of paving the way to further talks.
Sir Keir spent Saturday morning speaking to western allies in the wake of the Anchorage summit.
Following the round of calls, the Prime Minister said: “President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.
“While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelensky. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him.”
Overnight, the Ministry of Defence said British troops now stand ready to police a future peace deal as soon as one is agreed.
The allied peacekeeping effort, the so-called coalition of the willing, would rely upon a “security guarantee” of air support from the US to prevent future Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Sir Keir suggested such an arrangement was now in place, something which Mr Trump has previously been reluctant to publicly confirm.
The Prime Minister welcomed “the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal”.
“This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more,” he added.
In a joint statement with leaders from key Nato allies including France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Finland, Sir Keir also said the coalition of the willing is “ready to play an active role”.
The leaders added: “No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its co-operation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and Nato.”
Allies plan to “keep tightening the screws” on Mr Putin with “even more sanctions”, Sir Keir also said.
Mr Zelensky, who spoke with Mr Trump in a one-on-one call on Saturday morning before European leaders joined, laid out what he wanted to see from an end to fighting.
Today, following a conversation with President Trump, we further coordinated positions with European leaders. The positions are clear. A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 16, 2025
Killings must stop as soon as…
Writing on social media site X, he said: “A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions.”
A ceasefire must include an end to fighting on land, in the sea and the air, he said, and all prisoners of war, as well as captured civilians – including children – must be returned.
Sanctions on Moscow “should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war”, Mr Zelensky added.
After the summit with Mr Putin at an air base in Anchorage, Alaska, the US president suggested there were only a few major stumbling blocks holding up the prospect of a peace deal.
Speaking to Fox News, he said it was up to Mr Zelensky to “make a deal” to end the war.
Writing on his Truth Social platform after the summit, Mr Trump said he hoped Monday’s meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart in the Oval Office could pave the way for three-way talks with Mr Putin.
The American leader added: “Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Experts, meanwhile, lined up to warn that the summit risked lending legitimacy to Mr Putin’s war effort.
Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia programme and head of the Ukraine forum at the Chatham House think tank, said: “Russia has received a reward for its invasion. Trump called Russia a ‘great country’ and said there is strong mutual understanding between the two parties.
“This represents a further fissure in the already shaky Transatlantic alliance, the rupture of which is a primary Russian aim. The Alaska summit represents another step towards this goal.”
Dr Neil Melvin, director of international security at the Royal United Services Institute, suggested Mr Putin would walk away considering the summit a success.
He said: “Vladimir Putin came to the Alaska summit with the principal goal of stalling any pressure on Russia to end the war.
“He will consider the summit outcome as mission accomplished.”
