Newsman: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced billions in support for Ukraine on Sunday following a summit with European leaders. Starmer announced a loan of 2.2 billion British pounds ($2.8 billion) to support Ukraine, funded through the freezing of Russian assets passed on Saturday. He also highlighted a new deal that would allow Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds ($2 billion) in export finance to buy missiles made in Northern Ireland.
Keir Starmer gave Zelenskyy a warm hug and a handshake outside his home at No. 10 Downing St. on Saturday and said he was determined to end the war in Ukraine, where Russian forces control nearly one-fifth of the country. Zelenskyy flew to the U.K. Friday.
British Prime Minister Starmer vowed to bolster Ukraine to allow the nation to negotiate a peace agreement from a position of power.
“We have to learn from the mistakes of the past,” Starmer said at a press conference. “We cannot accept a weak deal like Minsk, which Russia can break with ease. Instead any deal must be backed with strength. Every nation must contribute to that in the best way that it can.”
Backing of any peace deal would include U.S. security guarantees, according to Starmer. The British premier rejected a characterization posed by a reporter that the U.S. was an “unreliable ally.”
“The discussions we’ve had today, particularly the coalition of the willing, is on the basis that this is a plan we will work on with the U.S. and that it will have U.S. backing,” Starmer said, adding that he spoke to Trump Saturday night.
Leaders must work to secure more support for Ukraine, because while the Russians talk of peace, they are “continuing their relentless aggression,” Starmer said Sunday in his opening remarks of the summit.
“Getting a good outcome for Ukraine is not just a matter of right and wrong. It’s vital for the security of every nation here,” Starmer said.
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