Ukraine Must Be Put in ‘Strongest Possible Position for Negotiations,’ Says Starmer

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during the annual Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall in central London, on Dec. 2, 2024. Yui Mok/PA Wire

The West must put Ukraine “in the strongest possible position for negotiations” to end the conflict with Russia, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Starmer made the remarks during a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London on Monday, representing the first time that the prime minister has acknowledged there may be a diplomatic component in the ending of the Ukraine–Russia war.

In his speech focusing on foreign affairs, he told guests: “We must continue to back Ukraine and do what it takes to support their self-defence for as long as it takes.

“To put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations so that they can secure a just and lasting peace on their terms that guarantees their security, independence—and right to choose their future.”

Starmer’s comments come as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is due to re-enter the White House in January.

During the election campaign, Trump had said he would talk to both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and aim to have the leaders speak with each other.

Last week, Trump nominated Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for the Ukraine–Russia conflict, a role that does not currently exist and will be established for the president-elect’s second term. Earlier this year, Kellogg co-authored a plan for ending the war.

Ukraine ‘Frontline of Freedom’

Starmer maintained that the UK will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, reiterating that the Eastern European country is “on the frontline of freedom” and that Russia represents a threat to the continent.

The prime minister told guests at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet: “There’s no question. It’s right we support Ukraine. But we must also be clear that it is deeply in our self-interest to do so.

“I would encourage everyone here to stop and think for a moment about what it would mean to us, to our continent, to the world if Russia wins. What would it mean for our values—for democracy, commerce, and liberty?”

Starmer went on to say that a victory for Russia would represent a weakening of Western values and damage the West’s security and stability.

“The further Russian troops advance, the closer the threat becomes. The more land they control, the more they control grain prices and energy sources, and the more confident Putin becomes,” he said.

The UK has already pledged billions in humanitarian and military support to Ukraine, as well as providing training on British soil for Ukrainian soldiers.

London’s ongoing commitments to Kyiv were restated last month, when Foreign Secretary David Lammy and France’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs Jean-Noël Barrot jointly pledged that the UK and France will “do everything that is necessary” to support Ukraine.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during the annual Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall in central London, on Dec. 2, 2024. Yui Mok/PA Wire

In recent weeks, the conflict has advanced at an increasing pace, following reports that Ukraine was granted permission to fire U.S. and British made long-range missiles into Russian territory. Putin said the development prompted Moscow to respond by firing a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence refuse to confirm or deny the reports, with defence minister John Healey telling a House of Commons committee last month that he “won’t be drawn on the operational details of the conflict.”

Starmer Rejects Choice Between US and EU Allies

Since the Labour Party won the July 4 general election, Starmer has sought to “reset” relationships with the EU and its member states, relationships which the prime minister suggested had been neglected by the previous Conservative administration.

However, he rejected the notion that closer ties with the continent necessitate pulling away from historical ally the United States, calling the concept “plain wrong.”

“I reject it utterly,” Starmer said during his banquet speech, continuing: “[Clement] Attlee did not choose between allies. [Winston] Churchill did not choose. The national interest demands that we work with both.”

“Our relationship with the United States has been the cornerstone of our security and our prosperity for over a century. And we will never turn away from that. We call it the special relationship for a reason,” the prime minister said.

Saying that the UK and United States are “intertwined” in terms of security, military, and industry, he added: “That’s why, when President Trump graciously hosted me for dinner in Trump Tower, I told him that we will invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends in the years to come.”

Ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. election, Starmer met with Trump at Trump Tower in New York City, with the prime minister saying at the time he wanted to “establish a relationship between the two of us.”