As he readies himself for his talks with Donald Trump next week, Sir Keir Starmer has shown commendable courage in standing up for Ukraine, its brave citizens and its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, whose own bravery and skill during a pitiless war have won international admiration.
It is, of course, incredible that a British prime minister should even need to point out that, contrary to views expressed by President Trump, President Zelensky is not “a dictator”, and that the postponement of free elections is because the country is at war and at least one-fifth of its territory is occupied by a foreign power, Russia. Yet Mr Trump’s repetition of Kremlin propaganda about the popularity and legitimacy of the democratically elected leader of Ukraine has made such an extraordinary move necessary.
