{"id":127720,"date":"2025-02-24T15:39:37","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T15:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-latest-starmer-reins-in-trump-criticism-in-plea-for-us-backstop-on-anniversary-of-war-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T15:39:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T15:39:37","slug":"ukraine-russia-latest-starmer-reins-in-trump-criticism-in-plea-for-us-backstop-on-anniversary-of-war-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-latest-starmer-reins-in-trump-criticism-in-plea-for-us-backstop-on-anniversary-of-war-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine-Russia latest: Starmer reins in Trump criticism in plea for US \u2018backstop\u2019 on anniversary of war – The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Foreign leaders are join Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to mark the three-year anniversary of Russia\u2019s invasion
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UK<\/a> prime minister Sir Keir Starmer<\/a> has refrained from criticising Donald Trump<\/a> as he urged the US to provide a \u201cbackstop\u201d to protect Ukraine<\/a> in any peace agreement.
Virtually addressing a Kyiv<\/a> summit marking the third anniversary of Russia<\/a>\u2019s invasion, Sir Keir offered a slight rebuke to Mr Trump as he insisted that \u201cRussia does not hold all the cards in this war<\/a>\u201d, but also claimed that the US president\u2019s intervention has \u201cchanged the global conversation\u201d and \u201ccreated an opportunity\u201d.
Warning that Ukraine must have a seat at the table<\/a> and strong security guarantees in any settlement, Sir Keir repeated his call for a US backstop that \u201cwill be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion in just a few years\u2019 time\u201d.
The prime minister\u2019s remarks came as he prepares to visit Washington<\/a> and convince Mr Trump to back Ukraine, after the US president and his allies launched a series of extraordinary attacks on Ukraine\u2019s leadership last week, after leaving Kyiv out of talks with Russia.
Kyiv<\/a> and the White House<\/a> are now in the final stages of negotiations in a deal for Ukraine<\/a>\u2019s rare earth minerals<\/a>, Ukraines deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna said. <\/a>
None of us will ever forget where we were on that grim morning three years ago when Vladimir Putin began his full-scale invasion<\/a> of Ukraine<\/a>. As footage of missile strikes raining down on Ukrainian cities played on screens, it felt at times as if Putin<\/a> might have struck a decisive blow not just against Ukraine, but against the democratic values we share with our Ukrainian friends.
It felt like a weak and divided West \u2013 still reeling from the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan months prior, and, in the case of Europe, still addicted to cheap Russian gas \u2013 would struggle to unite and provide Ukrainians with the support they needed.
But Putin underestimated the deep strength of the ideals that we share with our allies, including Ukraine, and the power of those fundamental values: democracy<\/a>, truth, and liberty. We were able to come together and enable brave Ukrainians to repel Putin\u2019s advances, and even to reclaim some of their territory.
Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey writes for The Independent:<\/em><\/strong>
Details of the rare earth minerals deal being negotiated between Washington and Kyiv are beginning to come to light.
The US will commit to a \u201cfree, sovereign and secure\u201d Ukraine as part of a \u201clasting peace\u201d, Bloomberg reported.
A \u201cdurable partnership\u201d between Ukraine and the US will be agreed as part of the deal, and the White House will say that those who \u201cacted adversely\u201d to Ukraine should not \u201cbenefit from its reconstruction\u201d.
The US will signal a desire to invest in Ukraine, the texts also show according to Bloomberg.
It comes after Ukraine\u2019s deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna said in a post on X that the deal was in its \u201cfinal stages\u201d.
The draft is awaiting US approval and the final text is still subject to change.
Volodymyr Zelensky is again emphasising that peace can only be established with Ukraine at the negotiating table.
During remarks made to a group of world leaders who are visiting Kyiv on the anniversary of Putin\u2019s invasion, he says that that Russia\u2019s ultimate target is the European way of life.
\u201cUkraine must be at the negotiating table together with Europe,\u201d Mr Zelensky says.
\u201cRussia\u2019s strategic target is Europe, the European way of life and security. Ukraine and Europe together with the US must be at the table.\u201d
French president Emmanuel Macron has arrived in the White House where he is set to hold talks with Donald Trump.
He is the first European leader to visit Mr Trump since he regained power last month. The pair will participate in a G7 call, hold bilateral talks and hold a joint press conference at 2pm EST (7pm UK time).
Mr Macron and Mr Trump are expected to discuss an end to the Ukraine war, looking to find common ground amid the stark differences in their view on how to approach a ceasefire.
In a Q&A session on social media ahead of his White House visit, Mr Macron said: “I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Putin). It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of and it’s not in your interests.\u201d
Sir Keir Starmer will visit Mr Trump later in the week as European leaders scramble to consolidate more influence over any future talks over a peace settlement.
The Ukrainian intelligence soldier doesn\u2019t know how long his clinical death lasted after an explosive detonated beneath him.
All Andrii Rubliuk remembers is overwhelming cold, darkness and fear. When he regained consciousness in his shattered body \u2014 missing both arms and his left leg \u2014 excruciating pain engulfed him, and hallucinations clouded his mind.
\u201cIt\u2019s an experience you wouldn\u2019t wish on anyone,\u201d the now 38-year-old says.
Two years later, Rubliuk is again dressed in military fatigues, his missing limbs replaced by prosthetics \u2014 hooks in place of fingers, one leg firmly planted on an artificial limb.
Read the full report:<\/em><\/strong>
The Kremlin said it would wait and see how ties between Russia and a new German government would evolve after Sunday\u2019s election victory for Freidrich Merz\u2019s conservatives.
Mr Merz, 69, will become Germany\u2019s next chancellor after the CDU\/CSU blog came in first place, with the Alternative for Germany reaching a historic second.
When asked if the arrival of Mr Merz could precede a more constructive relationship between Russia and Germany, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Each time (there’s a new government) we want to hope for a more sober approach to reality, for a more sober approach to what could be issues of mutual interest (between Russia and Germany), mutual benefits.
“But let’s see how it will be in reality.”
Just days before Keir Starmer jets off to meet Donald Trump in the White House he has praised him for changing the conversation around Ukraine \u201cfor the better\u201d.
That\u2019s one way to describe calling Ukraine\u2019s President Zelensky a dictator.
But the PM realises his trip to Washington calls for diplomacy.
So No 10 said that the President had \u201cbrought about these talks that could bring lasting peace in Ukraine which is what we all want to see\u201d.
\u201cWe look forward to discussing with President Trump later in the week how we reach that,\u201d the PM\u2019s official spokesperson said.
The eyes of the world will be watching.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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