LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday he does not see the US as an unreliable ally but Europe must continue to provide funding for Ukraine to put it in a stronger position if peace is negotiated.
Wrapping up a security summit in London with other European and world leaders, Starmer said that nobody wanted to see the breakdown in talks that happened Friday at the White House but that the US remains an important ally.
“The US has been a reliable ally to the UK for many, many decades and continues to be,” Starmer said. “There are no two countries as closely aligned as our two countries.”
Starmer said the plan he is working on for peace in Ukraine is intended to receive US backing. The UK will use 1.6 billion pounds (USD 2 billion) in export financing to supply 5,000 air defence missiles for Ukraine, he said.
And he warned that Europe had to do the heavy lifting in defending itself.
The meeting comes two days after US support for Ukraine appeared in greater jeopardy after President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he wasn’t grateful enough for US support.
