(Alliance News) - Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed to raise the importance of showing "united leadership" in backing Ukraine against Russian aggression during meetings with Donald Trump this week, Downing Street said.
The UK prime minister and French president used a phone call on Sunday afternoon to reiterate their support for Kyiv three years on from Moscow's invasion as the two men prepare to separately visit Washington DC.
Both leaders will be seeking to contain a growing transatlantic rift after the US president launched an extraordinary attack on Volodymyr Zelensky and his team met Kremlin officials to discuss ending the war.
In a conversation on Sunday, Number 10 said Starmer and Macron agreed that Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations regarding its own future.
On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion, they discussed how "we must all work together" to put the country in a strong position at "this crucial moment in global security", a readout said.
"The prime minister repeated the UK's steadfast commitment to support Ukraine for as long as needed and reiterated the importance of Ukraine being at the centre of any negotiations to end the conflict," Downing Street said.
"The UK and Europe must continue stepping up to meet their security needs and show united leadership in support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, which they would both discuss in the US in the coming week.
"The leaders agreed to stay in close contact."
Starmer will seek to position the UK as a bridge between the US and Europe on his visit next week as tensions simmer after Trump called Ukrainian president Zelensky a "dictator" and suggested Kyiv had "started" the war.
The Ukrainian leader later accused Trump of living in a "disinformation space" following US talks with Kremlin officials about bringing the conflict to an end, at which neither Kyiv nor other European countries were present.
On Sunday, he said that he would be ready to give up his presidency if doing so would achieve a lasting peace for his country under the security umbrella of Nato, which America has effectively ruled out.
Admission of new nations to the military bloc requires unanimous approval from existing members.
Some European leaders and opposition figures have openly condemned Trump's remarks about Ukraine and Starmer has faced pressure to challenge the president when he visits Washington.
The prime minister has backed Zelensky as a "democratically elected leader", but avoided directly criticising the US President.
At the weekend, he and his Cabinet warned a weak peace deal would cause damage far beyond Ukraine, saying that including a US security guarantee to deter Russia attacking again is in America's own interest.
Speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, the prime minister said: "Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue, least of all the Ukrainians.
"But after everything that they have suffered, after everything they have fought for, there can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term, secure future."
He added: "I've seen first-hand the devastation (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has caused.
"Mark my words – what I have seen only makes me more determined to stand up for Ukraine."
The prime minister also held his second call in three days with Ukrainian President Zelensky, promising the leader he would make the case for safeguarding the country's sovereignty when he visits Washington.
Following US demands that Europe shoulder the overwhelming burden of security on the continent, Starmer is also expected to use the trip to confirm a timeline to raise UK defence spending to 2.5% of national income.
Speaking to broadcasters on Sunday's morning media round, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the UK would significantly increase its commitment from the current 2.3% share of gross domestic product and urged other allies to "step up alongside that".
Asked whether the prime minister would promise Trump that the UK will spend "much more" when he meets him next week, Phillipson told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: "Let's be clear, 2.5% is ambitious.
"We will get there, but it is ambitious, and this is also in the context of the public finances which, let's be honest, were left in a devastating state by the Conservatives – a GBP22 billion black hole, no credible plan for this nonsense that they claim around how they were going to reach 2.5%."
Reports suggested the prime minister is also expected to deliver an invitation for a state visit to Trump, a known admirer of the royal family, during his trip to Washington.
Asked whether he would be doing so, he told reporters in Glasgow on Sunday: "In terms of state visits, that's a matter for His Majesty the King, but I can guarantee that when I'm over there next week, as President Trump has done in every conversation I've had with him, he'll be talking about Scotland, as he always does."
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he will announce new sanctions to "turn the screws" on Russia on Monday to coincide with the anniversary of the war.
Meanwhile, Trump used a wide-ranging speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, in Washington on Saturday to say he thought "we're pretty close to a deal".
"We better be close to a deal because that has been a horrible situation," he added.
Zelensky has said his country will not accept any outcome from talks that have taken place between Moscow and Washington since Kyiv was excluded from the discussions.
By Nina Lloyd
Press Association: News
source: PA
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