Britain will play leading roll in securing peace in Europe but must have strong US backing, says Starmer

Britain will play a leading roll in securing peace in Europe, but must have the “strong” backing of the United States, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

During an address in the Commons on Monday, the Prime Minister insisted that the future of Ukraine is vital for our national security.

He added that the UK must strengthen its relationship with the US, but his Government will “never choose between either side of the Atlantic”.

The UK will place "boots on the ground and planes in the air" if necessary, Sir Keir told MPs as he described his meeting with European leaders on Sunday as a "productive summit".

"We agreed a clear strategy that the United Kingdom, France and our allies will work closely with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, which we will then discuss directly with the United States,” he said.

"We agreed on Sunday that those willing to play a role in this will intensify planning now, and as this House would expect Britain will play a leading role with, if necessary, and together with others, boots on the ground and planes in the air.

"It is right that Europe do the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent, but to succeed this effort must also have strong US backing.

"I want to assure this House, I take none of this lightly. I have visited British troops in Estonia, and no aspect of my role weighs more heavily than the deployment of British troops in the service of defence and security in Europe, and yet, I do feel very strongly that the future of Ukraine is vital for our national security.

"Russia is a menace in our waters and skies. They have launched cyber attacks on our NHS, assassination attempts in our streets. In this House, we stand by Ukraine because it's the right thing to do, but we also stand by them because it's in our interest to do so."

Sir Keir highlighted his visit to the White House last week to meet US President Donald Trump to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

However, his successful meeting was followed by a disastrous summit between Volodymyr Zelensky and Mr Trump on Friday.

The PM added: “I do want to be crystal clear: we must strengthen our relationship with America – for our security, for our technology, for our trade and investment. They are and always will be indispensable.

“And we will never choose between either side of the Atlantic. In fact, if anything the past week has shown that that idea is totally unserious because while some people may enjoy the simplicity of taking a side, this week has shown with total clarity that the US is vital in securing the peace we all want to see in Ukraine.”

It comes after Sir Keir committed British troops and planes as part of a peace-keeping mission if Putin’s war in Ukraine ends, but European leaders still want a US security guarantee “backstop” for such a force.

The PM told European powers they must realise it is “time to act”, and warned they stand at a “crossroads in history”, following the Sunday gathering at Lancaster House, a mansion near Buckingham Palace.

He committed £1.6 billion towards helping Ukraine purchase 5,000 missiles for its defence and invited European leaders to join a “coalition of the willing” led by Britain and France, which is aimed at enforcing any future peace deal.