Keir Starmer meets Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
Keir Starmer led 48 hours of frantic diplomacy designed to salvage hopes of a Ukraine peace deal after last week’s unprecedented White House slanging match shocked the world.
Details of the Prime Minister’s packed weekend reveal a desperate bid to rebuild relations between Donald Trump and President Zelensky, and to build a coalition of European leaders designed to show the US that Europe can “step up” and help keep Ukraine safe.
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Friday
Sir Keir sat down to watch television coverage of the meeting between Ukraine’s President Zelensky and the US President in his office, expecting it to be the highlight of a carefully-choreographed week of activity.
This began with the Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron making separate visits to Washington, and was due to end on Sunday with a London summit involving leaders from across Europe.
The US and Ukrainian presidents were due to sign a deal to exploit Ukraine’s state-owned minerals. It was hoped that this would effectively mean the US guaranteed Ukraine’s security, although the agreement did not explicitly contain any such promise.
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Instead, the Prime Minister watched in growing horror as Mr Trump and vice president JD Vance bellowed at their guest in front of the television cameras. President Trump even expressed solidarity with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and complained: “Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me.”
The real discussions, to take place in private, never even began. Instead, Mr Zelensky and his entourage were thrown out of the White House.
Donald Trump calls Zelenskyy 'disrespectful' during meeting
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The world responds
A number of European leaders quickly took to X to express their outrage. Friedrich Merz, incoming Chancellor of Germany, posted: “We stand with #Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war.”
Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, said: “We stand with Ukraine and on the side of the free world!”
Sir Keir, however, refused to accept the mineral deal was dead. He believed it was essential to keep the US on board and believed the UK could act as a “bridge” between the Trump administration and Ukraine.
Rather than “ramping up the rhetoric” he remained silent in public - despite coming under pressure to speak out like other European leaders. Instead, he made phone calls first to Donald Trump and then the Ukrainian President, setting out his view that an agreement remained both essential and possible, and offering to help make it happen.
It was only after these conversations that Downing Street released a statement confirming the Prime Minister “retains his unwavering support for Ukraine” but avoiding any criticism of Mr Trump.
Saturday
President Zelensky had already been due to visit the UK and meet the Prime Minister in advance of Sunday’s summit but this meeting now had an even greater urgency.
The Prime Minister allowed a picture to say a thousand words as he greeted the Ukrainian leader warmly in Downing Street and the pair hugged.
Once inside Number 10, Sir Keir reiterated his “unwavering support” for Ukraine but insisted that the US mineral deal remained on the table and Mr Zelensky should sign it.
Afterwards, the Prime Minister held a telephone conversation with France’s President Macron - followed by another conversation with Mr Trump.
Explaining his strategy, Sir Keir said: “We have to bridge this, we have to find a way that we can all work together.”
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrives in London (Image: Getty)
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The role of France
Crucial to the Prime Minister’s plan was the partnership with Mr Macron who has worked closely with his British counterpart every step of the way. A key part of the plan backed by both countries is to send European and British troops to Ukraine to deter a future Russian invasion, and while few details have emerged it seems clear that France will join the UK in providing “boots on the ground and planes in the air”.
There will be plenty of setbacks to come and one potential fly in the ointment cane when Mr Macron told France’s Le Figaro newspaper that his country and Britain are proposing a partial “one-month truce” between Russia and Ukraine, covering air, sea and energy infrastructure attacks but not ground fighting. Downing Street was caught on the hop and attempted to play this down but it seems the plan set out by Mr Macron is an option under discussion.
Sunday
The grand summit at Lancaster House, a spectacular mansion near Buckingham Palace, was attended by the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Romania. The Turkish Foreign Minister, NATO Secretary General and the Presidents of the European Commission and European Council also took part.
The problem was that many of the countries most affected by the Ukraine war - Baltic nations that share a border with Russia or its client-state ally Belarus - had not been invited.
Sir Keir smoothed ruffled feathers by holding a video-conferencing chat with the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the morning.
He took to the airwaves before the summit to explain his strategy on Laura Kuenssberg’s BBC One show. By now, the two main elements were clear - get Ukraine and the US to sign that minerals deal, and create a European security guarantee involving a “coalition of the willing”.
The aim is to demonstrate to the US that Europe is ready to devote manpower and money to keep the peace in Ukraine, rather than expecting America to shoulder the burden. Sir Keir continues to hope this might persuade Mr Trump to agree to provide a US military “backstop”, perhaps involving air power based in other countries but capable of securing Ukraine’s skies if needed, despite Mr Trump’s apparent opposition to this idea.
The summit was in many ways a triumph, placing the UK and Sir Keir at the heart of world events, but it changed little and the Prime Minister’s statement at the end largely rehashed his morning television comments.
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It certainly contained some impressive soundbites, however. Sir Keir said: “We are at a crossroads in history today.
“This is not a moment for more talk. It is time to act, time to step up and lead.”
The King plays his part
One key conversation during that fateful 48 hours is unlikely ever to be discussed publicly. The Prime Minister must have spoken at some point to the King, resulting in Mr Zelensky’s visit to meet the monarch on Sunday. Just as the Charles agreed to host Donald Trump for a second state visit, allowing Sir Keir to flourish the invitation during his White House meeting, so he agreed to host President Zelensky at Sandringham. There could be no clearer sign of the UK’s continued support for Ukraine.