Keir Starmer has said he felt “proud to be British” on Saturday, when Britain united in a show of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his bruising showdown with Donald Trump.
Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Sir Keir welcomed the cross-party support he received from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, injecting a moment of patriotism into the serious parliamentary debate.
Responding to a series of supportive questions from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Sir Keir replied: “Can I thank the leader of the opposition for her support for the measures we are taking.”
“It matters across this house that we are united on this issue. It matters to the Ukrainians and to President Zelenskyy.
“I can tell you he was moved by the reception he got in our country on Saturday. And I can tell you I felt very proud to be British on Saturday when our country spoke with one voice.”
The comment came after the Prime Minister had delivered a crucial update to MPs following Sunday’s major London summit of European leaders.
Sir Keir said that the hundreds-strong crowd of supporters outside the gates of Downing Street who cheered President Zelenskyy’s arrival in London “spoke for the whole country”.
While he said that the Oval Office scenes between the Ukrainian and US presidents were “something no on in this house ever wanted to see”, he insisted Donald Trump remains steadfastly committed to a peace deal.
The PM argued: “I welcome the understanding from our dialogue that our two nations will work together on security arrangements for a lasting peace in Ukraine.”
“I also welcome the President’s continued commitment to that peace, which nobody in this house should doubt for a second is sincere.”
Following the summit with fellow leaders on Sunday, Sir Keir said there are now four principles behind the actions Europe will take to achieve peace in Eastern Europe.
- Keep military aid to Ukraine flowing, and keep increasing economic pressure on Russia.
- A lasting peace must guarantee sovereignty in Ukraine, and Ukraine must be at the table when negotiating their own future
- In the event of a peace deal, Europe will continue to boost Ukrainian defences and military deterrents
- A ‘coalition of the willing’ will be assembled, comprised of those countries willing to defend and guarantee a peace deal in Ukraine
He said Britain will play in a leading role in any such military coalition, with “boots on the ground and planes in the air.”
However the Prime Minister continued to argue that any military role for Europe “must have strong US backing”, something Donald Trump is yet to guarantee.
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