Starmer Ukraine Support Stands Strong
On February 22, 2025, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reaffirmed Starmer Ukraine support in a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, their second in four days. With Monday marking three years since Russia’s invasion, Starmer pledged to champion Ukraine’s sovereignty in talks with US President Donald Trump next week in Washington, DC. “Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations,” he told Zelensky, per a Downing Street spokesperson, vowing an “ironclad” UK commitment to a just peace ending Russia’s war. This stance counters Trump’s push to thaw US-Russia ties, sidelining Kyiv in recent Saudi talks.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy plans a major sanctions package against Russia on Monday, targeting Putin’s “military machine,” while 2,000 marched to London’s Russian embassy Saturday, backing Ukraine. Starmer, writing in The Sun, agreed with Trump that Europe must boost defense spending but insisted Ukraine needs a negotiation voice and US-backed security guarantees. Zelensky called the talk “productive,” coordinating military and diplomatic moves for a busy week, posting on X: “The UK’s support matters deeply.” Meanwhile, Trump’s prior remarks—labeling Zelensky a “dictator” with “no cards”—drew 93-year-old marcher Margaret Owen’s ire: “It’s appeasement, outrageous.”
Starmer Ukraine Support Faces Trump Test
Starmer Ukraine support faces a pivotal moment Thursday when he meets Trump, following a week of European summits—like Paris’s Monday scramble—reacting to US-Russia talks excluding Ukraine. Trump blasted Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron for doing “nothing” on Ukraine, while Defence Secretary John Healey countered in The Sunday Times: “No talks without Ukraine—a shaky peace risks more war.” Starmer also briefed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Saturday, agreeing Europe must “step up” for security, per Downing Street. Foreign Affairs Chair Emily Thornberry, at the London march, urged influence over shouting: “We can’t just capitulate to Putin.”
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Main Body: A Transatlantic Tug-of-War
Today, February 22, 2025, at 7:52 PM PST, Starmer Ukraine support holds firm as Trump’s Russia pivot tests alliances. Zelensky’s call—hours before London’s 2,000-strong march—saw Starmer stress sovereignty as “essential to deter Russia,” eyeing a “significant moment” for European security. Lammy’s sanctions, the biggest since 2022’s invasion (killing 1,200, displacing 251 hostages), aim to squeeze Putin as Ukraine nears year three of resistance—48,319 Palestinian deaths reported by Gaza’s health ministry amid Israel’s response. Starmer’s Trump talks loom large; he nods to Trump’s defense-spending push but insists on Ukraine’s role, unlike Trump’s dismissal: “Zelensky’s not important.”
Monday’s Paris summit and Tuesday’s Trump-Zelensky spat—where Zelensky hit back at “disinformation”—frame this clash. Ukrainian student Oleksandra Udovenko marched, saying, “I’m here for my country’s right to choose.” Thornberry’s plea for diplomacy over confrontation reflects Starmer’s tightrope—push Trump without sparking trade rifts. Healey’s pride in “UK unity” on Ukraine, bolstered by £2.3 billion in aid, meets Trump’s curveball. Will Starmer sway him, or will Putin’s thaw prevail? As 2,000 feet hit London’s streets, Kyiv’s fate hangs in the balance—peace or peril ahead.
