Keir Starmer assembly with Donald Trump date confirmed to comply with EU leaders summit on Ukraine

Keir Starmer will travel to Washington to meet Donald Trump, following an expected meeting of European leaders to discuss Ukraine, it is understood.

France is preparing to host an informal meeting of leaders on Monday, which Mr Starmer will attend, as will Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Mr Starmer will head to the White House the following week (WC 24th Feb) to take messages from the meeting to the US President.

“This is a once in a generation moment for our national security where we engage with the reality of the world today and the threat we face from Russia,” the Prime Minister said.

“It’s clear Europe must take on a greater role in NATO as we work with the United Sates to secure Ukraine’s future and face down the threat we face from Russia. The UK will work to ensure we keep the US and Europe together. We cannot allow any divisions in the alliance to distract from the external enemies we face.”

Mr Starmer spoke to President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday Morning, and discussed the importance of a US Security guarantee that Vladimir Putin does not attack Ukraine again once peace is reached.

Government sources believe Keir Starmer’s forthcoming meeting with Mr Trump could be key to determining the direction the peace talks will take – despite the President yesterday dismissing the visit as being at “his [Mr Starmer’s] request, not mine”.

And sources at the Munich Security Conference said the UK’s ‘special relationship’ means it is in a better position to “steer the US where others can’t.”

Clear red lines for negotiations have yet to be drawn.

But it’s felt Nato membership for Ukraine should remain on the table, and the US should guarantee some level of support for European forces in maintaining any peaceful settlement.

And Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, accepted Russia would have to give back territory it had invaded if peace were to be achieved.

“To me there will have to be things like territorial concessions as well,” he said at a panel event in Munich. “There’s some territorial…renouncement of the use of force into the future. He’s not going to downsize his military force. What we’re going to try to do is force him into actions maybe he’s uncomfortable with.”

Kellogg is expected to visit Ukraine next week, hoping to bring Mr Zelensky to the table at proposed talks.

G7 foreign ministers at the Munich summit agreed to continue pursuing a strong peace deal for Ukraine – with robust security guarantees.

And they linked future sanctions on Russia to the forthcoming negotiations.

“Any new, additional sanctions after February should be linked to whether the Russian Federation enters into real, good-faith efforts to bring an enduring end to the war against Ukraine that provides Ukraine with long-term security and stability as a sovereign, independent country,” the statement – which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – said after a meeting on the sidelines of the conference.