Sir Keir Starmer has reaffirmed Britain will back Ukraine’s “irreversible path” to joining Nato despite US President Donald Trump appearing to rule out membership.
The prime minister told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky the UK stood by a pledge made alongside ex-president Joe Biden at last year’s Nato summit in Washington, to back Ukraine’s bid for membership.
The two leaders spoke on the phone ahead of global leaders meeting for fresh talks in Munich on Friday.
Sir Keir’s comments are in stark contrast to those of the Trump administration, which has said this week that Nato membership for Ukraine is not a “realistic prospect”.
In a readout of the call, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister began by reiterating the UK’s concrete support for Ukraine, for as long as it’s needed.
“He was unequivocal that there could be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine.
“Ukraine needed strong security guarantees, further lethal aid and a sovereign future, and it could count on the UK to step up, he added.
“The prime minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato as agreed by allies at the Washington Summit last year.”
The leaders agreed it was an “important moment to demonstrate international unity and support for Ukraine” and “agreed to stay in close contact”, the statement added.