Starmer backs Nato membership for Ukraine

Keir Starmer has reassured the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky of Britain’s ‘commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato’ membership. The Prime Minister made the comments in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart this morning. This appears to be a rebuttal of comments made by senior members of US President Donald Trump’s team stating that Nato membership for Kyiv in the aftermath of the war with Russia is unrealistic. 

Starmer’s pledge to Zelensky comes after the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth declared on Wednesday during a defence summit in Brussels that ‘the United States does not believe that Nato membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement’ to end the conflict with Russia. His comments, made at a defence summit in Brussels, came hours before Trump revealed that he had spoken to Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier that day, agreeing to start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine ‘immediately’.

The Prime Minister’s comments risk inflaming tensions between the UK, Europe and America, which are already fraying on the question of Russia, as well as trade and tariffs.