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British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hugged Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the steps of Downing Street as he attempted to strengthen the Ukrainian president’s attempts after an explosive outbreak with Donald Trump.
According to briefs on the conversation, Starmer spoke with Trump and Zelenskyy over the phone after the Oval Office bankruptcy on Friday and urged them to resume negotiations, including eventually reaching a deal to allow the United States to share some of Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
Starmer provided public support to Zelenskyy on Saturday, who was cheered by public cheers when he arrived at Downing Street, telling him that he had “full support” from Britain.
“You hear the people of Britain show how much support they have provided to you and we are absolutely determined to stand with you,” Stamer said before the private talks.
Zelenskyy’s reception on Downing Street contrasts with his hostile encounter with Trump the day before at the White House. The Ukrainian president will meet with King Charles on Sunday, and he told Steamer, “We count on your support.”
Starmer will host 14 European leaders in London on Sunday to seek military and financial support for Ukraine, including helping to build peace with Russia.
European diplomats said that after any ceasefire, the British Prime Minister has proposed to place British troops on the ground in Ukraine, and he hopes several other European countries will follow suit.
British officials said Starmer will impress Zelenskyy at Saturday’s meeting that he must first establish a relationship with Trump and that no peace will last unless the United States promises it.
“The prime minister’s priority is to do his best to defend Ukraine,” said one of Starmer’s ally. “This means the United States has to be involved. You have to resolve this relationship and go back to the mineral transaction.”
France also provided troops to help ensure peace in Ukraine. Starmer and French President Macron will use Sunday’s meeting to try to inspire a more muscular European response.
One British official believes it is time for other European leaders to put their money in their mouths: “What Ukraine needs now is guns and butter. It does not require people to tweet and virtue signals.”
Starmer hopes that Europe will put Ukraine’s negotiations with Russia in a strong position, including arming Kiev and sanctions on Moscow, and has developed viable plans to ensure any peace agreement.
The British Prime Minister held enthusiastic talks with Trump at the White House on Thursday, just 24 hours before Zelensky clashed with angry U.S. president and vice president JD Vance.
British officials do not think Starmer’s efforts are futile, nor do they think he was played by the US president in any way. One person said: “We have a better relationship with the president than we did at the beginning of this week, which is important.
“What happened in Zelenskyy in the Oval Office made PM and Macron going to the White House even more important.
Ukraine needs arms, food, long-term peace and security assurance. To do this, they need the United States. People can tweet, but there are no other plans. ”
Another British official said: “The Prime Minister will bring people together and politely make sure they realize there is only one negotiation in the town – that’s President Trump’s negotiation.”
Downing Street expects attendees to Sunday’s summits to include Olaf Scholz of Germany, Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Donald Tusk of Poland, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The summit will be held at the 19th-century mansion Lancaster Building near Buckingham Palace in central London. Starmer will also hold calls with leaders of the three Baltic countries.
An early sign that Britain and France may provide the greatest chance of any post-war stable force, but may provide some Baltic states (or even Sweden) assistance, a French official said last week.
Both support Ukraine Germany and Poland are one of those countries that have so far not proposed to send troops to countries with war terror to help obtain any peace agreement.
