Starmer backs Ukraine's Nato bid despite US view

  14 February 2025    Read: 393
Starmer backs Ukraine

Sir Keir Starmer has reaffirmed the UK will back Ukraine's "irreversible path" to joining Nato despite leading figures in President Trump's administration appearing to rule out membership.

The prime minister told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky he stood by a pledge made alongside ex-president Joe Biden at last year's Nato summit in Washington, to support Ukraine's bid for membership.

The two leaders spoke on the phone ahead of global leaders meeting at the Munich Security Conference.

Sir Keir's comments are in stark contrast to those of the Trump administration, which has said this week that Nato membership for Ukraine is not a "realistic prospect".

In a readout of the call, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister began by reiterating the UK's concrete support for Ukraine, for as long as it's needed.

"He was unequivocal that there could be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine.

"Ukraine needed strong security guarantees, further lethal aid and a sovereign future, and it could count on the UK to step up, he added.

"The prime minister reiterated the UK's commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato as agreed by allies at the Washington Summit last year."

The UK has had to walk a fine line between its support for Kyiv and maintaining good relations with President Trump, who this week agreed to open negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin while signalled his willingness to make concessions to Moscow.

Trump's defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has said restoring Ukraine's territory to where it was before the first Russian invasion in 2014 is simply "not realistic".

Speaking at a defence summit in Brussels on Wednesday, Hegseth also downplayed the prospect of Ukraine joining Nato.

His remarks were the clearest indication yet of the Trump administration's position on the Ukraine war and what a peace plan to end the conflict could involve.

Ukraine has repeatedly called for Nato membership and has rejected ceding territory as part of any peace deal.

Zelensky has warned Putin is "definitely not preparing for negotiations", but to "continue deceiving the world" as he appealed for unified pressure from allies on Russia.

G7 ministers are gathering for the Munich Security Conference at a time of fragile diplomatic terms.

Cabinet minister Peter Kyle declined to say whether the US president's approach to Putin was akin to the appeasement of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.

But he insisted that Ukraine's voice must be at the heart of any peace talks, as other European countries have also said.

"We need to act coolly and calmly going forward, and listen to what President Zelensky says he needs, and to be there to support him for it," Kyle told LBC.

"It is great that we have a US president that is now so dedicated to bringing this war to an end. His defence secretary said that everything is on the table."

Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.


More about:


News Line