Ukraine cannot be rendered ‘toothless’ by an unfair peace deal with Russia, a senior Labour minister warned Donald Trump today.
Pat McFadden said that Kyiv had to be able to ‘decide its own future’ after efforts by Washington and Moscow to carve out an agreement between them.
Sir Keir Starmer will meet Volodymyr Zelensky along with the French and German leaders in Downing Street on Monday as discussions on ending the war continue.
The Prime Minister will use the meeting with Mr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to show the UK’s support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, US and Ukrainian officials are set to conduct a third day of talks in Florida as Donald Trump’s administration pushes Kyiv to accept an American-backed peace plan.
The first draft of a Trump-backed peace plan involved limiting the size of Ukraine’s military and handed swathes of its Territory to Vladimir Putin.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: ‘The principle behind the talks will be for Ukraine to be able to decide its own future.
‘This is a really pivotal moment now. Everybody wants the war to come to an end, but they want it to come to an end in a way that gives Ukraine that freedom of choice in the future.
‘So, that means not just an end to the war but also security guarantees for Ukraine in the future, and not a completely toothless organisation which is unable to decide its future, and I think that will be at the heart of the discussions tomorrow.’
Pat McFadden said that Kyiv had to be able to ‘decide its own future’ after efforts by Washington and Moscow to carve out an agreement between them.
The first draft of a Trump-backed peace plan involved limiting the size of Ukraine’s military and handed swathes of its Territory to Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister will use the meeting with Mr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to show the UK’s support for Ukraine.
‘And President Zelensky knows that he has the strong solidarity of the United Kingdom, and indeed of the leaders of France and Germany, who will also be at the meeting tomorrow.’
He added that any peace deal should not ‘reward Russian aggression, both in terms of the end state on the battlefield, but perhaps even more importantly in terms of Russia‘s ability to dictate Ukraine’s future’.
In its new national security strategy, published overnight on Saturday, the White House said it was committed to Ukraine’s survival as a ‘viable state’.
But the strategy also prioritised improving relations with Moscow, stating that ending the war is a core US interest to ‘re-establish strategic stability with Russia’.
Leaders will discuss the ongoing talks between US and Ukrainian officials aimed at finding an agreement on guaranteeing Ukraine’s post-war security.
Almost two weeks ago the four men took part in a virtual meeting of the ‘coalition of the willing’ convened by Sir Keir and Mr Macron to provide a European peacekeeping force that can be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
But peace still appears to be a distant prospect in Ukraine, where Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Friday night.
Mr Zelensky said his country’s energy infrastructure was the main target for hundreds of Russian drones and around 50 missiles, with Ukrainian officials accusing Moscow of seeking to ‘weaponise’ the cold by denying civilians access to heat and power.
Putin has already rejected some parts of the plan, with Ukraine’s territorial integrity and measures to deter future Russian attacks proving major sticking points for Moscow.
Sir Keir has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine must determine its own future, and said the coalition of the willing’s peacekeeping force would play a ‘vital role’ in guaranteeing the country’s security.
On Friday, both US and Ukrainian negotiators said ‘real progress’ towards a deal depended on ‘Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace’.
