Starmer to defend Ukraine as he faces Trump summit

Sir Keir Starmer has made it clear he intends to stand up to Donald Trump over Ukraine as he jets over to Washington DC for one of the most consequential meetings ever between a US president and British prime minister.

- DAVID MADDOX

Speaking to journalists on the flight over the Atlantic, Sir Keir insisted that Russia's Vladimir Putin has to be viewed as the aggressor. He will make clear that there can be no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine, and will push for Europe to play a greater part in global defence.

However, in a challenging meeting which will also encompass awkward conversations on plans to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, trade deals and a potential visit by President Trump, Sir Keir was keen to talk up the relationship between the two.

The prime minister insisted that "there is no issue between us" on Ukraine as he jetted out - attempting to play down disagreements in the past two weeks. He said: "Of course, the president has been very clear about the peace that he wants. He's right about that. We all want peace. The question is, how do we make sure it's a lasting peace? There's no issue between us on this."

His words came as it was revealed he plans to host Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders for a defence summit this weekend. With talks on tariffs being imposed by the US and concerns by the Trump administration, inflamed by Elon Musk, on free speech in the UK regarding social media, Sir Keir will be keen to remind the president that the two countries share trade worth $400bn, which supports more than 2.5 million jobs across both countries.

The prime minister will join the president at the White House today, before a tete a tete at the Oval Office. He will be accompanied by the foreign secretary, David Lammy.