Sir Keir Starmer has described “real progress” after European leaders, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, held talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister said the meeting marked a “historic step” towards peace, emphasising that ending the conflict is crucial for the security of the UK.
Sir Keir joined Mr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte for the discussions on Monday. President Trump said he had spoken directly with Vladimir Putin to begin planning a meeting between the Russian leader and Mr Zelensky, which would be followed by a three-way meeting including the US.
Following the talks, Sir Keir highlighted two “material outcomes”: the coalition of the willing will now work with the US on security guarantees for Ukraine, and there will be a bilateral agreement between President Putin and President Zelensky, followed by a trilateral meeting with President Trump. He said this recognises that Ukraine must be at the table on issues such as territory, prisoner exchanges and the return of children.
President Trump described the talks as “very good” on his Truth Social platform, noting that European countries would provide security guarantees for Ukraine in coordination with the US. He added that everyone is happy about the possibility of peace for Russia and Ukraine.
Mr Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, suggested that the US could offer measures similar to Nato’s Article Five mutual defence provision without Ukraine joining the alliance. Sir Keir welcomed this, saying it fits with the work of the coalition of the willing and could represent a “historic step” for security in Ukraine and Europe.
