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Prime Minister says Ukraine’s ‘territorial integrity’ must be protected ahead of Trump summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska
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Sir Keir Starmer has warned that Ukraine’s borders “must not be changed by force” as he meets Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street.
The Prime Minister greeted the Ukrainian leader with a warm hug on Thursday in a demonstration of support, a day before President Donald Trump holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska aimed at ending the three-year-old conflict.
On Wednesday, Trump joined a virtual meeting with European leaders, including Zelensky, who sought to set red lines ahead of the summit.
The US President threatened “severe consequences” for if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine, without specifying what these could be.
In a statement on Wednesday, Sir Keir said that the UK’s support for Ukraine was “unwavering”, adding: “International borders must not be changed by force and Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity as part of any deal.”
There is no chance that tomorrow’s meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will produce a positive outcome for Ukraine, an expert on Russian and European security affairs has told The Independent.
“Anybody that states confidently what they’re going to see out of this meeting is, is making it up,” said Keir Giles, author of Who Will Defend Europe? An awakened Russia and a sleeping continent.
“There’s so many unpredictable factors. And the only thing that we can be fairly sure about is that there will be no good coming of this meeting, because Trump and Putin behind closed doors is always bad news.
“If we do see anything coming out of this, it is unlikely to be limited just to the ostensible purpose of the meeting, which is a ceasefire in Ukraine. There’s far more at stake,” he added.
The UK has reportedly scaled back its plans to put troops in Ukraine, now offering a smaller “reassurance force” to support peace efforts in the region.
While a 30,000-strong group from countries that make up the coalition of the willing – a group of countries which have pledged support for Ukraine against Russia’s aggression – had initially been floated, military chiefs are now said to have dropped the idea, instead favouring a smaller, “more realistic” operation.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to No 10 on Thursday morning, as Europe rallies behind Ukraine.
Our politics team Millie Cooke and Kate Devlin report:
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Keir Starmer and President Zelensky embraced outside No 10 as the Ukrainian leader arrived for talks in Downing Street on the eve of Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin.
The two men smiled as they greeted each other but in the main their facial expressions underlined the seriousness of the situation; amid fears Ukraine could be excluded from peace talks.
The meeting is a public show of support from the prime minister as Europe rallies behind the Ukrainians.
But as they met both men were tight-lipped when asked about whether or not they trust the US president to deliver a fair peace deal.
It comes after Mr Trump suggested land would have to be swapped to bring the war to an end.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 47 drones and missiles overnight into Thursday, the Ukrainian air force said, one day ahead of a crunch meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Two anti-aircraft missiles and 45 Shahed-type drones were fired in the attack which largely targeted the Donetsk, Chernihiv and Sumy regions.
A total of 21 drones were recorded hitting 12 locations, Ukraine’s air force said.
Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at Downing Street for his meeting with Keir Starmer.
The Ukrainian prime minister was greeted at the doorstep with a warm hug from his British counterpart, with the pair exchanging short words before heading inside.
It is currently unclear whether Downing Street will share details about the meeting.
Volodymyr Zelensky is due to arrive at Number 10 Downing Street imminently.
A red carpet has been rolled out for the Ukrainian president outside Number 10, our Whitehall correspondent Kate Devlin reports.
It is a last push for the leaders to display unity in Europe, one day after a “very positive” call with Donald Trump – and one day before his crucial meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Thirteen people were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a residential building in Russia’s southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Thursday, acting regional governor Yuri Slyusar said.
No further details are currently available on the strike – we’ll bring you the latest as it comes/
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