UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer joins ‘Coalition of the Willing’ talks on Russia-Ukraine conflict

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took part in a video call with his European allies on Sunday ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House next week for talks with US President Donald Trump on the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia.

Starmer was joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as hosts of the “Coalition of the Willing”, after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a peace-seeking summit in Alaska on Friday.

Starmer praised the US president’s efforts which he said “have brought us closer than ever to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine” and reiterated Europe’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine.

“His leadership in seeking an end to the killings must be praised. While progress has been made, the next step must be further negotiations involving President Zelensky. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him,” Starmer said in a statement released by Downing Street.

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“I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide strong security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any agreement. Calling it “an important step forward,” he said it would be crucial in “dissuading Putin from coming back for more.”

“In the meantime, until he (Putin) ends his barbaric assault, we will continue to tighten the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions, which have already had a punitive impact on the Russian economy and its people,” Starmer said.

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In a joint statement with Macron, Merz and other European Union (EU) leaders on Saturday, Starmer praised Trump’s account of his meeting with Putin that ended without any ceasefire agreement.

“As President Trump said, ‘There will be no deal until there is a deal.’ As President Trump envisions, the next step now must be further negotiations, including with President Zelensky, whom he will meet soon,” the leaders said.

“The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role. No limitations should be imposed on the Ukrainian armed forces or its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders should not be changed by the strength,” they stressed.

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This comes as some media reports indicate that Putin expects Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbass region, parts of which attempted to occupy Russia during the conflict.

According to the Financial Times, the Russian president told Trump he would freeze the conflict on much of the front line if his demands were met.