London: Prime Minister Keir Starmer updated Parliament on Monday about the outcomes of a key European summit he hosted in London over the weekend, stressing that the UK will play a “leading role” in securing peace for ally Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
His address led to a rare display of unity across all sections of the House of Commons, with the Opposition Conservatives praising the Labour leader for his efforts to rally European Union (EU) leaders towards a “coalition of the willing” against the backdrop of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s White House showdown with US President Donald Trump.
Starmer expressed his discomfort over the clash as “something nobody in this House wants to see” but went on to assert that the UK-US alliance remains “indispensable”.
“Britain will play a leading role in securing peace for Ukraine with, if necessary, and together with others, boots on the ground and planes in the air,” Starmer told MPs.
“But to succeed, this effort must also have strong US backing…I do want to be crystal clear – we must strengthen our relationship with America, for our security, for our technology, for our trade and investment. They are, and always will be indispensable, and we will never choose between either side of the Atlantic,” he said.
“In fact, if anything, the past week has shown that the idea is totally unserious, because while some people may enjoy the simplicity of taking a side, this week has shown with total clarity that the US is vital in securing the peace we all want to see in Ukraine,” he added.
The address came after a weekend of frenetic diplomacy led by the UK, during which it agreed to work with France “on a plan to stop the fighting”, before it can be discussed with the US.
At the summit, Starmer announced a four-point plan to work with Ukraine to end the war and bolster the UK’s defence against Russia.
The plan involves including Ukraine in talks, continuing to supply it with military aid, boosting its defence capabilities and building a “coalition of the willing” to defend a deal to end the fighting.
However, apart from increasing defence spending, further consensus on a peace plan is still being thrashed out by leaders across Europe. UK Defence Secretary John Healey is expected to visit the US later this week to move forward the discussions to secure American backing for an agreed European peace plan.
Meanwhile, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves signed off a GBP 2.26 billion loan scheme to help Ukraine buy weapons and fund its reconstruction after the war. Starmer later announced a further GBP 1.6 billion for missiles for Ukraine.
Zelenskyyy welcomed Europe’s unequivocal backing, reiterating calls for an American security guarantee to any peace deal with Russia even as he sought to placate Trump by stressing on the “importance of America”.
He said: “We are grateful for all the support we’ve received from the United States. There has not been a day when we haven’t felt gratitude. It’s gratitude for the preservation of our independence – our resilience in Ukraine is based on what our partners are doing for us – and for their own security.
“What we need is peace, not endless war. And that’s why we say security guarantees are the key to this.”
