Starmer doubles down on ‘unwavering support’ to Ukraine ahead of world leaders’ summit
Sir Keir Starmer has offered his “unwavering support” to Ukraine – saying “we’re at a turning point” following a fiery Oval Office exchange between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump.
The prime minister welcomed Mr Zelenskyy to Downing Street on Saturday, where they signed a new loan deal for Ukraine following his disastrous meeting with the US president on Friday.
On Sunday, the pair will be joined by dozens of world leaders for a summit on Ukraine and security.
Ukraine latest: Zelenskyy to meet King Charles
Sir Keir will start the day by speaking to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, before they are joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders from countries including Germany, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Canada, Finland and Romania.
Turkey’s foreign minister, the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also attend.
In a statement issued ahead of the meeting, Sir Keir said he “will reaffirm my unwavering support for Ukraine and double down on my commitment to provide capacity, training and aid” – in order to put the country “in the strongest possible position”.
Sir Keir said it was an ‘honour’ to welcome Mr Zelenskyy to Downing Street. Pic: Lauren Hurley/No 10 Downing Street
He continued: “In partnership with our allies, we must intensify our preparations for the European element of security guarantees alongside continued discussions with the United States.
“We have an opportunity to come together to ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine that secures their sovereignty and security.
“Now is the time for us to unite in order to guarantee the best outcome for Ukraine, protect European security, and secure our collective future.”
Zelenskyy’s visit to Downing Street
Sir Keir’s statement came after he welcomed Mr Zelenskyy to Downing Street with a hug.
The pair spoke briefly, before Mr Zelenskyy waved at reporters and gave a thumbs up. They then shook hands as they posed for pictures outside the door of No 10.
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When Starmer met Zelenskyy: What happened?
As they sat down inside, Sir Keir told Mr Zelenskyy: “You have full backing across the United Kingdom and we stand with you, with Ukraine, for as long as it may take.
“I hope you heard some of that cheering in the street,” he continued, saying the cheers signified “our absolute determination to stand with you – unwavering determination – and to achieve what we both want to achieve, which is a lasting peace.”
Mr Zelenskyy gave a thumbs up to the waiting crowds
Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir added: “A lasting peace for Ukraine based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine – so important for Ukraine, so important for Europe and so important for the United Kingdom.”
“So I’m much looking forward to our discussions here this afternoon – thank you very much for making the time to come,” he said.
Mr Zelenskyy replied that he was “happy to be here”.
“I want to thank you, the people of the United Kingdom and the King,” he said, noting he will be meeting the monarch tomorrow.
“We count on your support,” he continued. “We’re really happy we have such partners and such friends.”
A new loan deal for Ukraine
Sir Keir and Mr Zelenskyy both posted on X following their meeting, with the British prime minister saying it was an “honour” to welcome the Ukrainian leader to No 10.
He signed off his post with “Slava Ukraini”, which means ‘Glory to Ukraine’.
In a lengthier post, Mr Zelenskyy said the pair “discussed the challenges facing Ukraine and all of Europe, coordination with partners, concrete steps to strengthen Ukraine’s position, and ending the war with a just peace, along with robust security guarantees”.
The duo will be joined by European and EU leaders for further talks on Sunday. Pic: Lauren Hurley/No 10 Downing Street
He also announced a new loan agreement signed over a videocall today by chancellor Rachel Reeves and Ukrainian finance minister Sergii Marchenko.
The £2.26bn loan will “enhance Ukraine’s defence capabilities” and “be repaid using revenues from frozen Russian assets”, Mr Zelenskyy said.
Ms Reeves signed the loan deal on a videocall with Ukraine’s finance minister Pic: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street
The Treasury said: “The loan demonstrates the UK’s commitment to Ukrainian defence. A strong Ukraine is vital to UK national security.”
As well as welcoming Mr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir has spoken to US President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron today.
Sky News understands the calls were constructive and focused on finding a way forward.
Two entirely different White House meetings
Both the Ukrainian president and the British prime minister visited the White House this week – but the two meetings had very different outcomes.
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Watch Trump and Zelenskyy clash
Sir Keir won over Mr Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday as he presented the US president with a letter from the King, inviting him to the UK for an historic second state visit. But Mr Zelenskyy’s meeting in the same room – just 24 hours later – descended into a fiery shouting match.
The Ukrainian president had travelled to Washington DC to attempt to secure a Russia ceasefire agreement and a possible mineral deal with the US.
Read more:
Trump and Zelenskyy body language explained
How Starmer secured wins at the White House
Zelenskyy refuses to apologise for Oval Office row
His first engagement at the White House was a sit down with Mr Trump and his vice president JD Vance – which ended with the pair accusing Mr Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” and “gambling with World War Three”.
The Ukrainian president then left early and the rest of the day’s engagements, including a news conference, were hastily cancelled.
His plane, emblazoned with the Ukrainian flag, touched down at London’s Stansted airport and was met by a convoy of cars this morning.
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Politics
Norman Tebbit: Former Tory minister who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government dies aged 94
Norman Tebbit, the former Tory minister who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government, has died at the age of 94.
Lord Tebbit died “peacefully at home” late on Monday night, his son William confirmed.
One of Mrs Thatcher’s most loyal cabinet ministers, he was a leading political voice throughout the turbulent 1980s.
He held the posts of employment secretary, trade secretary, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Conservative party chairman before resigning as an MP in 1992 after his wife was left disabled by the Provisional IRA’s bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton.
He considered standing for the Conservative leadership after Mrs Thatcher’s resignation in 1990, but was committed to taking care of his wife.
Margaret Thatcher and Norman Tebbit in 1987 after her election victory. Pic: PA
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called him an “icon” in British politics and was “one of the leading exponents of the philosophy we now know as Thatcherism”.
“But to many of us it was the stoicism and courage he showed in the face of terrorism, which inspired us as he rebuilt his political career after suffering terrible injuries in the Brighton bomb, and cared selflessly for his wife Margaret, who was gravely disabled in the bombing,” she wrote on X.
“He never buckled under pressure and he never compromised. Our nation has lost one of its very best today and I speak for all the Conservative family and beyond in recognising Lord Tebbit’s enormous intellect and profound sense of duty to his country.
“May he rest in peace.”
Lord Tebbit and his wife Margaret stand outside the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Pic: PA
Tory grandee David Davis told Sky News Lord Tebbit was a “great working class Tory, always ready to challenge establishment conventional wisdom for the bogus nonsense it often was”.
“He was one of Thatcher’s bravest and strongest lieutenants, and a great friend,” Sir David said.
“He had to deal with the agony that the IRA visited on him and his wife, and he did so with characteristic unflinching courage. He was a great man.”
Reform leader Nigel Farage said Lord Tebbit “gave me a lot of help in my early days as an MEP”.
He was “a great man. RIP,” he added.
Lord Tebbit as employment secretary in 1983 with Mrs Thatcher. Pic: PA
Born to working-class parents in north London, he was made a life peer in 1992, where he sat until he retired in 2022.
Lord Tebbit was trade secretary when he was injured in the Provisional IRA’s bombing in Brighton during the Conservative Party conference in 1984.
Five people died in the attack and Lord Tebbit’s wife, Margaret, was left paralysed from the neck down. She died in 2020 at the age of 86.
Before entering politics, his first job, aged 16, was at the Financial Times where he had his first experience of trade unions and vowed to “break the power of the closed shop”.
He then trained as a pilot with the RAF – at one point narrowly escaping from the burning cockpit of a Meteor 8 jet – before becoming the MP for Epping in 1970 then for Chingford in 1974.
Lord Tebbit during an EU debate in the House of Lords in 1997. Pic: PA
As a cabinet minister, he was responsible for legislation that weakened the powers of the trade unions and the closed shop, making him the political embodiment of the Thatcherite ideology that was in full swing.
His tough approach was put to the test when riots erupted in Brixton, south London, against the backdrop of high rates of unemployment and mistrust between the black community and the police.
He was frequently misquoted as having told the unemployed to “get on your bike”, and was often referred to as “Onyerbike” for some time afterwards.
What he actually said was he grew up in the ’30s with an unemployed father who did not riot, “he got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it”.
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