Sir Keir Starmer sent his national security adviser to “coach” Volodymyr Zelensky following his row with Donald Trump last month. The Prime Minister ordered diplomat and civil servant Jonathan Powell to Kyiv, where he assisted the Ukrainian president on how to mend his relationship with his US counterpart. It took multiple sessions to decide on the particular language that would best express Mr Zelensky’s fears of Russia breaking a potential ceasefire deal, two senior officials told The New York Times.
Sir Keir also spoke with Mr Trump in an effort to patch things up with Mr Zelensky and show that “we’re [Britain’s] back” on the world stage, he told the outlet. He said: “On the day in which the Oval Office meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky didn’t go particularly well, we were under pressure to come out very critically with, you know, flowery adjectives to describe how others felt.
Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump got into a row during a White House meeting. (Image: Getty)
“I took the view that it was better to pick up the phone and talk to both sides to try and get them back on the same page.”
The Labour leader added that it was inevitable that Kyiv’s European allies and NATO would become strained over the course of the war, which has been raging for just over three years.
He said: “In our heart of hearts, we’ve known this moment was coming from just over three years ago, when Russian tanks rolled across the border. We have to treat this as a galvanising moment and seize the initiative.”
There has also been recent speculation that Sir Keir may have to switch his allegiance from Europe to the US as the UK will be blocked from a £125 billion EU defence fund unless the Government signs a security pact with Brussels.
However, the Prime Minister rejected the notion that he would have to pick sides when it came to his allies across the globe.
He said: “Many people are urging us to choose between the US and Europe. Churchill didn’t do it. Attlee didn’t do it. It’d be a big mistake, in my view, to choose now.
“I do think that President Trump has a point when he says there needs to be a greater burden borne by European countries for the collective self-defence of Europe.”
European leaders are also reportedly drawing up plans to reduce the United States’ dominance in NATO, amid concerns over America’s commitment to the alliance.
The Financial Times reported that proposals may be presented to Mr Trump, outlining a five or ten-year strategy for Europe to assume greater responsibility for the continent’s security.
One official told the outlet: “We’re starting those talks but it is such a big task that many are overwhelmed by the scale of it.”
