A “US security guarantee” is the only path to peace in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Speaking in Paris after an emergency summit with European leaders, the prime minister said a “US backstop” is the “only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again”.
And he said the future of Ukraine is not the only thing at stake.
“It is an existential question for Europe as a whole, and therefore vital for Britain’s national interests,” he commented.
“This is a once in a generation moment for the collective security of our continent.”
He said it was a “new era” in which nations could not “cling hopelessly to the comforts of the past”.
Any peace deal for Ukraine must “safeguard its sovereignty” and deter Vladimir Putin from engaging in “further aggression in the future”, he added.
He joined the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark and the European Union at the Elysee Palace, alongside NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.
Sir Keir said: “Europe must play its role, and I’m prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground alongside others if there is a lasting peace agreement.
“So I will go to Washington next week to meet President Trump and discuss what we see as the key elements of a lasting peace.”
Sir Keir said it is “clear the US is not going to leave NATO”.
He went on: “But we Europeans will have to do more. The issue of burden sharing is not new, but it is now pressing and Europeans will have to step up, both in terms of spending and the capabilities that we provide.
“I spoke to President Zelenskyy on Friday. I will do so again in the coming days. And we envisage further [engagement] with European colleagues when I return from the US.”
Britain will “take a leading responsibility, as we always have”, the prime minister said, adding that “democracy must prevail”.
Asked by Sky News’s Europe correspondent, Adam Parsons, whether the US has undermined the UK, Europe and Ukraine by unilaterally starting talks with Russia, the PM said the US wanted “lasting peace”, as did Ukraine, before reiterating his point about a “US backstop” being necessary to support any security guarantees.
The US and Russia are meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss the Ukraine war.
Donald Trump has said the US no longer sees the defence of Europe as its primary concern, and has called on European nations to spend more on their defence budgets.
On Sunday night, Sir Keir confirmed that he was willing to deploy British troops to Ukraine in a peacekeeping role.
