Starmer ‘to defy Trump with Ukraine support package NEXT WEEK’ with ‘triple whammy’ of measures in new defence budget
SIR Keir Starmer is reportedly set to defy Donald Trump when he unveils a new defence budget plan next week.
The PM is expected to confirm a timeline to raise defence spending when he visits Washington next week.
In a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky this morning Sir Keir said he would discuss the importance of safeguarding Ukraine's sovereignty in talks with Donald Trump next week as he reiterated Britain's "ironclad support" for the country.
The Prime Minister insisted Kyiv's voice must be at the heart of any peace negotiations and said he would be "progressing these important discussions" on his visit to Washington, Downing Street said.
In a readout of a call between Sir Keir and the Ukrainian president on Saturday, a Number 10 spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister began by reiterating the UK's ironclad support for Ukraine and commitment to securing a just and enduring peace to bring an end to Russia's illegal war.
"The leaders reflected on recent developments in the conflict, as the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches, and agreed on the need to continue working together with allies to achieve peace through strength.
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"They agreed that this was a significant moment for the future of Ukraine and European security at large.
"The Prime Minister repeated that Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations to end the war and that safeguarding Ukraine's sovereignty was essential to deter future aggression from Russia.
"The Prime Minister said he would be progressing these important discussions in the coming days and weeks, including with US President Trump whilst visiting Washington DC next week.
"The leaders agreed to stay in close contact."
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The Prime Minister will have to walk a tricky line when he meets Mr Trump, balancing the UK's support for Ukraine with the need to keep the US onside.
The US president has started negotiations with Russia on ending the conflict, but excluded Kyiv from the talks - and a deepening rift has emerged between him and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as the two have traded barbs.
Washington has also put pressure on the UK and its allies to do more to shoulder the burden of European defence.
In an effort to ease tensions, Sir Keir is expected during the trip to finally set a date, likely 2030, for the UK to reach its goal of spending 2.5 per cent of GDP, reported.
This is up from the current 2.3 per cent.
The Prime Minister will also deliver an invitation from the King for a state visit to the UK, according to the newspaper.
The US president is known to admire the royal family.
Sir Keir's trip to Washington will come after Ukraine marks three years since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
The Prime Minister will reportedly unveil a new package of support for Kyiv on Monday to mark the occasion, including new sanctions and a defence announcement.
His trip to see the US President will also come after a visit to Washington by Emmanuel Macron.
Mr Trump said last night Sir Keir and the French president "haven't done anything" to end the war in Ukraine in the last three years.
"They didn't do anything either (to end the war). The war's going on, no meetings with Russia, no nothing.
"They haven't done anything. Macron is a friend of mine, and I've met with the Prime Minister and he's a very nice guy (but) nobody's done anything," he told a Fox News podcast released Friday.
Mr Macron has said he intends to tell his American counterpart not to "be weak" in the face of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Sir Keir is also facing pressure to take a firm line when he meets Mr Trump.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused Mr Trump of plotting a "stitch-up" with Mr Putin that "amounts to a betrayal of Ukraine", and urged the Prime Minister to speak "honestly and openly" with him.
Sir Ed added: "I think we're all astonished and deeply alarmed, and if the British Prime Minister doesn't reflect that, he's not reflecting the views of the British people."
But senior Cabinet minister Pat McFadden stressed the importance of maintaining a "good and constructive relationship" with the White House.
"I think the UK is potentially in a good position with this administration, if we handle it correctly.
I think we're all astonished and deeply alarmed, and if the British Prime Minister doesn't reflect that, he's not reflecting the views of the British people
Sir Ed Davey
"Handling it correctly doesn't mean following every twist and turn of every comment, but is focusing on what will actually happen as well as what was said," he said at a fringe event at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Friday.
The growing rift between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky presents a challenge for the Prime Minister.
The US leader described Mr Zelensky as a "dictator".
The Ukrainian president then claimed Mr Trump was living in a Russian "disinformation space", which led White House officials to accuse Mr Zelensky of "insulting" his counterpart.
The Americans also cancelled a planned joint press conference in Kyiv, in a sign of a deepening feud between the two countries.
Businessman Elon Musk, who is acting as an adviser on federal spending to Mr Trump, meanwhile suggested Mr Zelensky is running a "fraud machine feeding off the dead bodies of soldiers", suggesting limited appetite for continued American support for Ukraine.
However, Mr Trump's Ukraine envoy, retired general Keith Kellogg, praised Mr Zelensky on Friday as an "embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war" following what he described as "extensive and positive discussions" between the two men.
Mr Macron said he would tell Mr Trump: "It's not you, it's not your trademark, it's not in your interest.
"How can you then be credible in the face of China if you're weak in the face of Putin?"
Poland's president Andrzej Duda is set to meet Mr Trump on Saturday, Polish news agency PAP reported.
Mr Duda said he had a "candid" conversation with Mr Zelensky on Friday and urged him to "remain committed to the course of calm and constructive co-operation" with Mr Trump.
"I trust that good will and honesty form the foundation of the US negotiation strategy," he posted on X.
The UK's defence spending
Here is a breakdown of the UK's defence spending:
- In the 2023/24 financial year, the UK spent £53.9 billion on defence. This was the equivalent of 2.4 per cent GDP.
- Spending plans laid out in the Autumn Budget suggest this will increase to £56.9 billion in 2024/25.
- In 2025/26, this is expected to further increase to £59.8 billion.
- In his Labour manifesto, Sir Keir Starmer pledged to increase spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
The United States has proposed a draft United Nations resolution that stops far short of a competing European-backed statement demanding an immediate withdrawal of all of Moscow's forces from Ukraine.
The very short US draft resolution offers mourning for "the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict" and "implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia".
The draft resolution from the European Union and Ukraine singles out the assembly's demand that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders" and its demand to immediate halt all hostilities.
Meanwhile, some 62 per cent of Britons believe Ukraine should be allowed into Nato, according to new polling.
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The research by YouGov also suggested 68 per cent think the UK should maintain its commitment to defend allies in the military bloc, but when asked specifically about defending the US this figure fell to 42 per cent.
If Britain were attacked, 44 per cent believe America would come to the country's aid but 35 per cent are doubtful, according to the poll of 2,231 UK adults carried out this week.
