Sir Keir Starmer meets Volodymyr Zelenskyy in first visit to Ukraine as opposition leader

Published

2 years ago

February 17, 2023

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Sir Keir Starmer has met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy today as he made his first visit to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion last February.

The Labour leader‘s arrival in Kyiv comes just over a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise trip to London to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles.

Sir Keir told reporters that it is “very important” for him to be in Ukraine “making clear that support for Ukraine in the United Kingdom is united”.

He is also said to have reaffirmed the Labour Party’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

As part of the visit, Sir Keir travelled to Bucha and Irpin to see the sites of Russian war crimes.

He also met with experts in human rights, reconstruction and appropriations.

Reaction to Sturgeon’s shock departure – politics latest

Speaking after his meeting with President Zelenskyy, Sir Keir said: “I had a very constructive meeting with President Zelenskyy, and we were able to discuss the support that Ukraine needs and the justice that it deserves.

“We spoke about the need for that justice to cover both the use of Russian state assets for reconstruction and the need for there to be prosecutions for war crimes.

“I was able to tell him that should there be a change of government when we have a general election here, the support for Ukraine will remain the same.

“It’s a very important message for me to be able to relay to the president face to face, and I’ve been able to do that this afternoon.

“We discussed a range of issues, he’s very concerned about support through weapons and the continuation of training for Ukraine, and I stressed that the Labour Party supports and would maintain the defence, training, and technological support the current UK government is providing.

“I’ve said throughout this conflict there will be no difference between the political parties on this, so we will continue to work with the government to see what further support we can provide.”

Starmer’s Ukraine visit latest attempt to be seen as PM-in-waiting

Jon Craig

Chief political correspondent

@joncraig

In Prime Minister’s Questions last week, minutes before President Zelenskyy addressed MPs and peers in Westminster Hall, Sir Keir Starmer said it was vital for Parliament to stand together in full support of Ukraine.

But his visit to Kyiv and his face-to-face meeting with the president in the country’s war-torn capital will inevitably be seen as the Labour leader’s latest attempt to be seen by the British public as a prime minister-in-waiting.

The Labour leader has already met Ukrainian soldiers being trained by the British Army on a visit to Salisbury Plain last August and earlier, just 15 days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he met NATO troops during a visit to Estonia.

In PMQs last Wednesday, in his most bipartisan exchange yet with Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir declared: “Across this House, we must speak with one voice and say that this terrible conflict must end with the defeat of Putin in Ukraine.”

Later, after President Zelenskyy’s emotional Westminster Hall speech, Sir Keir was introduced to the president by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle before having a further conversation with him at a reception in the Speaker’s Apartments.

Sir Keir has been hoping to visit Ukraine for several months, going back to when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister last summer. Traditionally, governments are not enthusiastic about opposition leaders or shadow ministers making such trips.

But It seems that Mr Sunak has given his blessing for Sir Keir’s trip and the Labour leader’s strong backing for the prime minister on Ukraine, not least his show of solidarity at PMQs last week, will have been noted in Downing Street and Kyiv.

Sir Keir is not the first national opposition leader to visit Kyiv, however. Last year the head of Germany’s biggest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union, travelled to the capital last May and was received by President Zelenskyy.

Mr Sunak met the president in Kyiv in November, pledging to match the support given to Ukraine by Mr Johnson. And during the president’s UK visit last week he said in response to his plea for jet fighters: “Nothing is off the table.”

During Mr Zelenskyy’s visit to London, the UK government announced the country will now train pilots on the operation of NATO-standard fighter jets as well as marines alongside expanding the training of Ukrainian recruits from 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers this year.

It had been reported over the summer that Sir Keir had approached the Ukrainian president about the possibility of a visit as opposition leader.

The trip comes as the Labour leader looks to strengthen his relations with the Ukrainian government as the fight against Russia nears its one-year anniversary.

Sir Keir has previously visited the Polish border and troops in Estonia where he affirmed Labour’s “unshakeable” commitment to NATO.

The prime minister made a surprise visit to Kyiv back in November on his first trip to Ukraine since taking office.

Mr Sunak pledged that UK support for Ukraine in the fight against Russia would remain steadfast.

President Zelenskyy praised the “meaningful and useful visit for both our countries”.

World

Trump’s USAID cuts could lead to 14 million deaths, report warns

Published

12 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Trump's USAID cuts could lead to 14 million deaths, report warns

Around 14 million people could die across the world over the next five years because of cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), researchers have warned.

Children under five are expected to make up around a third (4.5 million) of the mortalities, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.

Estimates showed that “unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030”.

“Beyond causing millions of avoidable deaths – particularly among the most vulnerable – these cuts risk reversing decades of progress in health and socioeconomic development in LMICs [low and middle-income countries],” the report said.

USAID programmes have prevented the deaths of more than 91 million people, around a third of them among children, the study suggests.

The agency’s work has been linked to a 65% fall in deaths from HIV/AIDS, or 25.5 million people.

Eight million deaths from malaria, more than half the total, around 11 million from diarrheal diseases and nearly five million from tuberculosis (TB), have also been prevented.

USAID has been vital in improving global health, “especially in LMICs, particularly African nations,” according to the report.

Established in 1961, the agency was tasked with providing humanitarian assistance and helping economic growth in developing countries, especially those deemed strategic to Washington.

But the Trump administration has made little secret of its antipathy towards the agency, which became an early victim of cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – formerly led by Elon Musk – in what the US government said was part of a broader plan to remove wasteful spending.

In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more than 80% of USAID schemes had been closed following a six-week review, leaving around 1,000 active.

The US is the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, providing around $61bn (£44bn) in foreign assistance last year, according to government data, or at least 38% of the total, and USAID is the world’s leading donor for humanitarian and development aid, the report said.

Between 2017 and 2020, the agency responded to more than 240 natural disasters and crises worldwide – and in 2016 it sent food assistance to more than 53 million people across 47 countries.

The study assessed all-age and all-cause mortality rates in 133 countries and territories, including all those classified as low and middle-income, supported by USAID from 2001 to 2021.

World

Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended amid outrage over leaked phone call

Published

14 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended amid outrage over leaked phone call

Thailand’s prime minister has been suspended after a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian politician caused outrage.

An ethics investigation into Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under way and she could end up being dismissed.

The country’s constitutional court took up a petition from 36 senators, who claimed dishonesty and a breach of ethical standards, and voted 7 to 2 to suspend her.

The prime minister’s call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen, sparked public protests after she tried to appease him and criticised a Thai army commander – a taboo move in a country where the military is extremely influential.

Ms Shinawatra was trying to defuse mounting tensions at the border – which in May resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier.

Thousands of conservative, nationalist protesters held a demo in Bangkok on Saturday to urge her to step down.

Her party is clinging on to power after another group withdrew from their alliance a few weeks ago over the phone call. Calls for a no-confidence vote are likely.

Deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over temporarily while the court looks into the case.

The 38-year-old prime minister – Thailand‘s youngest ever leader – has 15 days to respond to the probe. She has apologised and said her approach in the call was a negotiating tactic.

The popularity of her government has slumped recently, with an opinion poll showing an approval rating of 9.2%, down from 30.9% in March.

Ms Shinawatra comes from a wealthy dynasty synonymous with Thai politics.

Her father Thaksin Shinawatra – a former Manchester City owner – and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister before her – in the early to mid 2000s – and their time in office also ended ignominiously amid corruption charges and military coups.

World

Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

Published

21 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.

The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.

On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”

At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.

The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.

An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.

She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.

The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.

An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.

Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.