US needs role in Ukraine to deter Putin from invading Ukraine again - UK PM

Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the UK, has reiterated his call for a US security guarantee in Ukraine to deter Russian president Vladimir Putin from invading again, as he prepares to meet Donald Trump.

Speaking on the plane to Washington DC on Thursday, February 27, Sir Keir said he hoped the UK-US relationship could go from "strength to strength,'' though both countries.

Sir Keir said discussions about potentially sending British troops to Ukraine were ongoing but he re-emphasised his belief in the importance of a US "backstop".

Asked what form he believed this backstop should take, he said: "Exactly what the configuration of that is, exactly what the backstop is, is obviously the subject of intense discussion but I'm not going to get ahead of myself on it, other than to say I'm very clear about what the principles are."

In contrast, Trump has said: "I'm not going to make security guarantees beyond very much.

"We're going to have Europe do that, because we're talking about Europe as the next door neighbour."

The president did add that the expected deal between Washington and Kyiv over access to Ukrainian minerals was "great" for Ukraine "because they get us over there."

"We will be on the land and that way there is going to be automatic security because nobody is going to be messing around with our people."

The prime minister said: "I'm considering how we preserve peace in Europe and how we get a lasting peace in Ukraine.

"And I'm absolutely convinced that we need a lasting peace, not a ceasefire, and for that to happen we need security guarantees.
"Precisely what that layers up to, what that looks like, is obviously a subject of intense discussion. We will play our part and I've been clear that we will need a US backstop of some sort.

"My concern is if there is a ceasefire without a backstop, it will simply give him [Putin] the opportunity to wait and to come again because his ambition in relation to Ukraine is pretty obvious, I think, for all to see."

Speaking at a reception at the UK Ambassador's residence in Washington on Wednesday evening,  Keir told guests that he wanted to strike a "new partnership" with the United States, and said "our best days lie ahead".

Lord Mandelson, the British ambassador, said Trump was a "very consequential president" and that "all the freedom-loving democracies in the world" faced a "very significant moment".

"The US and the United Kingdom, we basically share everything together," he said.

"And of course one thing we don't need to fight over is trade, because we have this fantastically fair and balanced trade relationship when we reciprocate so much - that's just a little thing for you to remember in the coming weeks."