Sir Keir Starmer will discuss Ukraine's sovereignty's significance in talks with Donald Trump next week, he stated during a call with the country's president.
The UK prime minister reaffirmed the UK's "ironclad support" for Kyiv when he spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.
The two leaders had their second telephone conversation in four days following US President Trump's decision to re-establish diplomatic ties with Russia and work towards an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
Approximately 2,000 individuals marched to the Russian embassy in western London in anticipation of the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin's large-scale invasion.
According to a Downing Street spokesperson, the prime minister stated that "Ukraine must be at the forefront of any negotiations aimed at ending the war" and can be certain of "the UK's commitment to securing a fair and lasting peace to bring an end to Russia's illegal war".
Downing Street mentioned that Sir Keir and Zelensky "agreed that this was a significant moment for the future of Ukraine and European security at large".
Sir Keir also informed Zelensky that it was crucial to protect Ukraine's independence in order to prevent future aggression from Russia.
The prime minister stated, "he will be advancing these significant discussions in the coming days and weeks, including with Trump during his visit to Washington DC next week".
- In the span of a week, two of the world's most powerful leaders made headlines with their actions. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have been dominating the news cycle with their provocative statements and decisions.
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On Saturday, Sir Keir held a separate call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, where they concurred that Europe needs to take a more proactive role for the sake of collective European security, according to Downing Street.
Sir Keir's meeting with Trump on Thursday follows a week of intense diplomatic activity, marked by a flurry of summits and phone calls, as European leaders struggled to determine how to respond to the US president's sudden shift in relations with Russia.
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He also stated that Zelensky had "no cards" in peace negotiations and that he did not think "he's very important to be in meetings".
On Monday, leaders from Europe gathered for an emergency summit in Paris, a day before scheduled talks between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia, amidst concerns that Ukraine and Europe might be left out of the peace negotiations.
On Tuesday, Trump referred to Zelensky as a "dictator" and stated that he should "never have started" the conflict, despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky stated that the US president was "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia.
On Saturday, people gathered in the streets of London in response to the US stance on Ukraine, marching from outside the Ukrainian embassy to the Russian embassy.
Margaret Owen, 93, accused Trump of "appeasement", recalling the Munich Agreement where Western powers signed a deal with Hitler just before the Second World War.
"It's utterly unacceptable. We can't allow the world to be controlled by these two individuals who are seemingly impossible to reason with," she said of Trump and Putin.
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair, Emily Thornberry, was among the marchers and argued for a less confrontational approach. The Labour MP said: "We want to influence the US president and we agree there must be peace. Why shout at him."
You'd get a short-term adrenaline rush from criticizing Trump, but if you genuinely want to sway him, let's focus on trying to persuade him.
The country of Ukraine needs to be represented, its future cannot be determined without Ukraine's involvement, and you cannot simply surrender to Putin's demands.
They need to be included in this process by the Americans and Russians.
Ukrainian Oleksandra Udovenko, who is from Kyiv and is currently studying in the UK, stated: "I'm here to safeguard my country's interests, ensure my country's sovereignty, and uphold my country's right to self-determination, free from any imperial influence in the world."
- US President Donald Trump has stated that UK Labour leader Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have not taken any actions to end the Ukraine conflict.
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