It would be a “big mistake” if Ukraine’s allies did not continue to give it the “strongest” support, Sir Keir Starmer said after Donald Trump criticised Kyiv’s use of US missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory.
The Prime Minister urged Western allies of the war-torn nation not to “take our eye off the ball” as Ukraine enters its third winter since the invasion.
It comes after President-elect Mr Trump said he disagreed “very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia” in an interview with Time Magazine, but insisted he would not abandon Kyiv.
The incoming president is intent on striking a peace deal between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky’s warring nations as soon as he comes to office in January.
It would be a big mistake, in my view, to take our eye off the ball and not ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position
Speaking during a visit to Norway, Sir Keir warned it was time for Kyiv’s allies to “double down” on the financial commitments, sanctions and the training they were providing to Ukraine.
“It’s important that we put Ukraine in the strongest possible position if there are to be negotiations, and even if there aren’t to be negotiations,” he said.
“But it would be a big mistake, in my view, to take our eye off the ball and not ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position, which is why we’ve been doubling down on this at many of the international meetings we’ve had with our allies to discuss this.”
The Prime Minister also told reporters that Russia “could stop this today, because it’s Russian aggression that is causing this conflict”.
US President Joe Biden has authorised the use of US-made ATACMS for Ukrainian strikes into Russia territory and there have since been reports of debris from British-made Storm Shadow missiles found in Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.
Ministers have not been drawn into saying whether Kyiv has been given permission to use the British-made missiles for the attacks.
Sir Keir did not directly answer when asked if the UK would follow suit were Mr Trump to withdraw authorisation for such missile strikes.
But he said both he and Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store had spoken with the president-elect, including about “the strategic approach that we should take as allies”.
He added: “The allies have stood together behind Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. We continue to do so, but as you would expect, we’ve been talking to all of our allies in relation to that, and there is this consensus that we must call it out for what it is Russian aggression, and the world has put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.
“But, yes, I think we both discussed this with President-elect Trump, as you would have expected.”
