UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer cautioned yesterday that US President Donald Trump‘s efforts to bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to a peaceful conclusion “must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader.” Following the White House meeting between the two leaders, Starmer told a joint press conference that “it can’t be peace that rewards the aggressor.”
Before meeting with Starmer, Trump had indicated that talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were “very well advanced”, saying he was confident President Vladimir Putin would not attempt to renew hostilities in the event of a truce. “I think he’ll keep his word,” Trump said of Putin.
Starmer’s trip, coming a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron‘s own visit to Trump, reflects mounting concern in much of Europe that Trump’s eagerness to find an end to the war suggests a willingness to concede too much to Putin. Last week, Trump administration officials met with Russia, but neither Ukraine nor any other European allies were represented. Then this week, the US refusal to sign on to resolutions at the United Nations blaming Russia for the war did little to assuage European concerns.
Today, Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at the White House and are expected to sign a controversial agreement that would give the US access to Ukraine’s critical minerals, which are vital to aerospace, defence, and nuclear industries. Zelenskyy had been seeking security guarantees from Washington in exchange, whereas a non-committal Trump maintained that Russia would have second thoughts about attacking Ukraine should the US invest economically there to extract the critical minerals
In the event of a truce, the UK’s Starmer and France’s President Macron have committed to contribute troops for a potential peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. Yesterday, en route to Washington, Zelenskyy met with Ireland’s prime minister, Micheál Martin, who told Zelenskyy that Ireland is willing to help, including dispatching peacekeepers to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy and European officials are without illusions about US troops being a part of any such venture. However, Starmer and others are striving to persuade Washington that the plan can only work if the US backs European forces on the ground with US aerial intelligence, surveillance and support, as well as rapid-response cover in case of breaches of a truce.
On Sunday, Starmer, whose government plans to increase military spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027, reaching 3% by 2035, is to host international leaders in London for discussions about Ukraine ending the war. Zelenskyy is expected to attend.
