Ekaterina Girnyk08:01, 27.02.25

Starmer stressed the importance of US support for European peacekeepers in Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on the US to provide support for a future European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying only this will ensure a lasting peace rather than a temporary ceasefire, and without security guarantees from the US, Russia will invade Ukraine again.

According to The Guardian , ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, Starmer reiterated that Britain would “play its part” in any peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, but could only do so with US support.

“I am absolutely convinced that we need a lasting peace, not a ceasefire, and for that we need security guarantees,” he told reporters traveling with him to Washington.

At the same time, he stressed that security guarantees must be sufficient to deter Putin from launching a repeat attack.

“… I am concerned that if there is a ceasefire without guarantees, it will simply give him (Putin) the opportunity to wait and come back again, because his ambitions regarding Ukraine, I think, are quite obvious to everyone,” he said.

He also stated that in the war in Ukraine “there is one aggressor, and that is Russia.”

“All further discussions about negotiations, about security guarantees should be seen in this context. They are the aggressors. They invaded and occupied a sovereign country in Europe, and they bear full responsibility for the conflict,” he said.

Asked whether Trump agreed with his view, Starmer said the leaders had “no problem” in their approach to Putin.

 “Of course, the president has been very clear about the peace he wants. He is right about that. We all want peace. The question is how do we make sure that it is a lasting peace. There is no problem between us on that issue,” he said.

Security guarantees from the USA

Trump has previously  spoken equivocally about any guarantees the US would provide, despite a critical minerals deal Zelensky is set to sign in Washington this week.

“I’m not going to give security guarantees beyond what we have. We’re going to force Europe to do it because Europe is their closest neighbor, but we’re going to make sure it goes well,” he said.

It was also reported that the UK was in talks  to convene European leaders  to further discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine. The meeting could take place as early as Sunday, March 2, 2025.

(C)UNIAN 2025