Sir Keir Starmer stresses support for Ukraine in phone call with European allies – as Volodymr Zelensky issues ceasefire ultimatum ahead of talks with Donald Trump
Sir Keir Starmer has highlighted Britain’s fearless support for Ukraine after it was revealed Volodymyr Zelensky had proposed an ultimatum to stop the bloodshed.
With all eyes on the upcoming crisis summit between Zelensky and President Trump in Florida, he stressed to his European allies that any peace must be ‘fair and lasting’.
In a meeting with German and French leaders on Friday, the Prime Minister said this was a “very important moment for the security of Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic region”, as he reaffirmed all three’s “unwavering commitment” to Ukraine.
A Downing Street spokesman said the leaders ‘reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and the importance of continuing negotiations towards this in the coming days’.
The leaders spoke after Mr. Zelensky announced Friday morning that he was planning a last-minute trip to meet Trump in Florida in hopes of negotiating a peace deal before the New Year.
He confirmed that he would be open to letting the public decide Ukraine’s fate by putting the final version of the peace plan to a referendum if the Kremlin agrees to a ceasefire that will last at least 60 days.
Mr Zelensky said he would meet Mr Trump in Florida at the weekend to discuss security guarantees and insisted the peace plan was ‘about 90 per cent ready’.
He added that he expected to discuss an ‘economic agreement’ and ‘regional issues’ with Mr Trump and said he hoped European leaders could also join the talks on Sunday or at a later date.
President Zelensky will meet with President Trump in Florida at the weekend to finalize the final version of the peace plan
Russian attacks continue to rain down on Ukraine, leading to scenes of destruction like this scene in Odessa on Christmas Day
Sir Keir Starmer reiterates Britain’s unflinching support for Ukraine
The talks in Florida are the latest phase of Trump’s year-long effort to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, which he has vowed to do quickly once he comes to power.
On Christmas Eve, Mr. Zelensky said the United States and Ukraine had reached consensus on a number of critical issues and indicated his country was open to creating a demilitarized zone on its eastern border with Russia.
However, the eastern Donbas region, consisting of the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, remains a major point of contention.
Russia demanded that Ukraine, which had already seized most of the territory by force, surrender all of Donbas in exchange for peace.
But Zelensky has always refused to do so, insisting that he has no “constitutional” or “moral” right to leave Ukrainian territory.
It is not yet known whether he will consider delegating this important decision to the people, as he has not currently accepted any plans involving concessions of unconquered lands.
Russia is also likely to object to NATO forces overseeing the ceasefire, which European leaders including Sir Keir and Mr Macron have said should be part of any deal.
Other European demands include allowing Ukraine to maintain a peacetime army of 800,000 soldiers and join the EU, while the US has reportedly offered unspecified security guarantees.
Zelensky said he would be open to submitting the final version of the peace plan to a referendum in Ukraine
Putin asked Ukraine to hand over the entire Donbas region
In the statement sent to the
He continued his post, “We are not losing a single day,” and added: “We agreed with President Trump to hold a meeting at the highest level in the near future.”
Setting a timeline for the last negotiation, the Ukrainian leader stated that ‘many things can be decided before the New Year’.
The Kiev Post reported on Friday that Zelensky ‘is expected to travel to Florida in the coming days for high-stakes talks at Mar-a-Lago, a potential venue for a meeting with the US leadership.’
Trump has no public events on his schedule for Friday, and the White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment to confirm details about a possible meeting.
Talks at Trump’s home in Florida are expected to focus on the structure, timing and content of a potential ceasefire.
Zelensky had previously held a marathon meeting with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Christmas Day, which he described as an intense discussion about how to stop hostilities.
“We have some new ideas,” Zelensky said after the meeting. ‘Some documents have already been prepared. From what I can see, they are almost ready and some documents are fully prepared.’
Zelensky has repeatedly said that Ukraine has never been an obstacle to peace and that the real challenge is for Russia to make a real commitment to ending the bloodshed.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues; Russian missile and drone strikes hit Ukraine early Friday. Kiev claimed it used UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to attack a major Russian oil refinery on Thursday.
