Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain is committed to Ukraine being on an “irreversible path” to joining Nato after the US appeared to rule out membership for the war-torn country.
The UK Prime Minister made the remarks in a phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as global leaders gather in Munich for a major security conference.
Britain has so far sought to strike a delicate balance between supporting Kyiv amid Russia’s invasion and keeping US President Donald Trump, who says he has agreed with Vladimir Putin to start negotiations to end the war, onside.
Sir Keir’s intervention on Friday is in contrast to Washington’s position that Nato membership for Ukraine is not a realistic prospect, as the West reels from the phone call between Mr Trump and the Russian leader on Wednesday.
In a readout of the Prime Minister’s conversation with Mr Zelensky, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister began by reiterating the UK’s concrete support for Ukraine, for as long as it’s needed.
The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato as agreed by allies at the Washington Summit last year
Downing Street spokeswoman
“He was unequivocal that there could be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine.
“Ukraine needed strong security guarantees, further lethal aid and a sovereign future, and it could count on the UK to step up, he added.
“The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato as agreed by allies at the Washington Summit last year.”
The leaders agreed it was an “important moment to demonstrate international unity and support for Ukraine” and “agreed to stay in close contact”, the statement added.
It comes after the Ukrainian president warned that Mr Putin is “definitely not preparing for negotiations”, but to “continue deceiving the world” as he appealed for unified pressure from allies on Russia.
We need to act coolly and calmly going forward, and listen to what President Zelensky says he needs, and to be there to support him for it,
Peter Kyle, Science Secretary
G7 ministers are gathering for the Munich Security Conference on fragile diplomatic terms amid fears in western capitals of Washington and Moscow negotiating European security over the heads of leaders on the continent.
Speaking to broadcasters on the morning media round, Cabinet minister Peter Kyle declined to say whether the US president’s approach to Mr Putin was akin to the appeasement of Hitler in the 1930s.
But he insisted that Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any peace talks, as other European countries have said.
“We need to act coolly and calmly going forward, and listen to what President Zelensky says he needs, and to be there to support him for it,” the Science Secretary told LBC.
“It is great that we have a US president that is now so dedicated to bringing this war to an end. His defence secretary said that everything is on the table.
“This is a crucial opportunity and we want to make sure that this crucial opportunity is seized with both hands, and Britain is here in the middle of it, making sure that our voice and our desires and needs are here and taken care of and represented in the best way possible, too.”
Mr Trump said he had spoken with Mr Putin on Wednesday and agreed to “work together, very closely” to bring an end to the war as it nears its three-year anniversary.
America has already appeared to make some concessions on Ukraine’s side, suggesting that Kyiv must accept it will have to give up some territory to Moscow, and that Nato membership for the country is not a realistic prospect
Meanwhile, Nato’s official position – endorsed by Sir Keir’s Government in the UK/Ukraine 100-year partnership – is that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to joining the alliance.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy will meet allies at the summit in Germany on Friday, where the future of Ukraine will lead the conference agenda, before a dinner with other delegates from the US, France, Italy and Germany.
Mr Trump, who spoke with Mr Putin before a phone call with Mr Zelensky, said on Thursday that Kyiv would have a seat at the table in any discussions.
But in comments to journalists in the Oval Office, he insisted that he could “trust” Russia’s leader and said he would like to see the country re-admitted to the G7.
The country was kicked out of the then-G8 in 2014 over its invasion of Crimea.
I had a good conversation with UK Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer. I thanked him for all the UK’s support and emphasized that we deeply value Britain’s leadership.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 14, 2025
I informed Prime Minister Starmer about my discussion with President Trump and contacts with the American side. The…
Ukrainian leader Mr Zelensky, who is expected to meet US vice-president JD Vance in Munich on Friday, appealed to western allies to stand firm and hold Russia accountable.
Writing on social media site X, he said: “Every night, Russia carries out such attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure and cities. Russia continues to expand its army and shows no change in its deranged, anti-human state rhetoric.
“This means that Putin is definitely not preparing for negotiations — he is preparing to continue deceiving the world.
“That is why there must be unified pressure from all who value life – pressure on the aggressor. Russia must be held accountable for its actions.”
Questions remain about what concessions Russia would have to make in any deal, with former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger saying Ukraine had been asked to make “some very, very hefty concessions… without much being asked for in return”.
As well as his meetings with the G7 and dinner with the so-called “Quint”, Mr Lammy is expected to take part in an event on Ukraine and meet representatives from European, Middle Eastern and North American nations.
He will be joined by the Defence Secretary, John Healey, who has already attended a Nato meeting and chaired a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group this week.
That meeting saw US defence secretary Pete Hegseth announce America was no longer “primarily focused” on guaranteeing European security, leading to calls from some European capitals for greater spending on defence.