Ukraine should not be left ‘toothless’ by peace deal, minister warns, forward of crunch talks
Keir Starmer will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in London on Monday
Ukraine must not be left “toothless” by a peace deal, a senior UK minister has warned, as Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to visit London for talks in Downing Street tomorrow.
Keir Starmer will welcome the Ukrainian President, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in London.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden today said Ukraine faces a “pivotal” moment amid continued talks between Ukrainian and US officials on a Donald Trump-backed plan to end the war. He said Ukraine’s security and self-determination would be “at the heart” of the leaders’ discussions.
Talking about tomorrow’s discussions in No10, Mr McFadden said: “The principle behind the talks will be for Ukraine to be able to decide its own future. This is a really pivotal moment now.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer to host President Zelensky at Downing Street for peace talks summit
“Everybody wants the war to come to an end, but they want it to come to an end in a way that gives Ukraine that freedom of choice in the future.
“So, that means not just an end to the war but also security guarantees for Ukraine in the future, and not a completely toothless organisation which is unable to decide its future, and I think that will be at the heart of the discussions tomorrow.”
He added that any peace deal should not “reward Russian aggression, both in terms of the end state on the battlefield, but perhaps even more importantly in terms of Russia’s ability to dictate Ukraine’s future”.
Meetings in London on Monday follow crunch talks over the last week between US and Ukrainian officials as Mr Trump pushes Kyiv to accept a deal.
US outgoing Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg on Saturday said a deal to end the Ukraine war, which will mark its four-year point in February, was “really close” to being agreed.
But negotiators in Florida have acknowledged that any “real progress” will depend “on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace”. Mr Zelensky has repeatedly accused Russian despot Vladimir Putin of stalling peace talks as he continues his relentless attacks on the war-town country.
Today, he said Russia had launched over 1,600 attack drones, around 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 70 missiles of various types against Ukraine in the last week alone.
The UK has consistently pushed for any peace deal to include security guarantees for Ukraine, both from the US and in the form of the British and French-led “coalition of the willing”.
Last month, Mr Starmer urged leaders of the coalition countries to firm up their commitments to a potential peacekeeping force that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
But Russia has repeatedly rejected the prospect of allied troops being stationed in Ukraine and continues to demand large swathes of Ukrainian territory in exchange for peace.
In its new national security strategy, published overnight on Saturday, the White House said it was committed to Ukraine’s survival as a “viable state”.
But the strategy also prioritised improving relations with Moscow, stating that ending the war is a core US interest to “re-establish strategic stability with Russia”.
