US should be part of guarantees - Starmer calls for support for Ukraine
Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister (photo: Getty Images)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on the allies to continue to help Ukraine, and noted that a bad peace deal would be "a disaster for everyone." In his column in The Sun, the politician emphasized that it is in UK and US interests to support Ukraine with a guarantee of security.
Starmer speaks out on Russian aggression in emotional address before meeting with Trump
In an emotional address before his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, the British prime minister recalled that he was 27 years old when the Berlin Wall fell.
"For my generation it was exciting. It really felt like we were casting away the shackles of history. That our whole continent was uniting behind freedom and democracy," Starmer said.
The head of the British strike noted that if he had been told that one day "we would see Russian tanks sweeping into European cities again, I would never have believed you."
"Yet that is exactly what we saw three years ago when Russia invaded Ukraine. Scenes which seemed to leap straight out of the history books and onto our modern screens. Images we thought we would never see in Europe again. Just imagine what it must have felt like for ordinary Ukrainians," Starmer wrote in a column for the British media outlet.
He once again emphasized that this nightmare was "caused by one man alone" - Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Starmer recalled how, during his visit to Ukraine, he saw the consequences of Russia's full-scale aggression, talked to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and visited Bucha, where "Russian soldiers massacred handcuffed civilians in cold blood."
"Trust me, you do not forget a place like Bucha. One moment in particular has stayed with me. A conversation I had with the people who gathered up the bodies. Their friends, their family, their brothers and sisters. Wheeled into a mass grave using shopping trolleys. Because the Russians couldn’t even be bothered to bury them," the British prime minister said in a statement.
Security for Europe, US interests, and guarantees for Ukraine
He emphasizes that everything he has seen only makes him more determined to stand with Ukraine as it fights for its future.
"We recognize the ‘bulldog spirit’ of a country standing up to an enemy that has no limits on its brutality. It is exactly the courage we displayed during the Second World War," Starmer said.
At the same time, the British prime minister noted that US President Trump "is right that European nations must now take greater responsibility for our security."
"We must increase our defense spending, as we’ve promised here in the UK. We must play a bigger role in NATO. We have talked about this for long enough. Now it is time for action," Stermer said.
According to the British Prime Minister, Trump is very committed to ending the Russian-Ukrainian war, but noted that "a good peace can only be won through strength."
"Ukraine must have a voice in negotiations about its future. And it needs strong security guarantees so the peace will last. I believe America must be part of that guarantee. It’s in their interest. A peace deal which does not stop Putin from attacking again would be a disaster for everyone," Starmer wrote.
He also believes that European countries should increase defense spending, and should play a bigger role in NATO.
"The best way to make sure that doesn’t happen is to be firm and fair now. That’s why I’m also open to British troops playing a role in any European force in Ukraine after a peace agreement," Starmer emphasized.
Speaking about the lessons of history, the British Prime Minister emphasized that "unless Ukraine is properly protected from Putin’s tyranny, then I’m afraid Europe will only become more unstable. That can only hurt us."
Earlier, it was reported that Britain is preparing to announce a new aid package for Ukraine on February 24. This aid from London has already been called a "triple whammy" in the press. It is estimated that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce a new package of measures to support Ukraine, despite the fact that Donald Trump is putting pressure on Kyiv to back down and accept a peace agreement with Russia.
Yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Europe, the United States and all other partners of Ukraine need to understand how to guarantee that Russia will not start new aggression again.
