Keir Starmer has warned that Vladamir Putin cannot be trusted “as far as you could throw him” and that any peace deal must not be imposed on Ukraine.
As Donald Trump prepares to meet the Russian leader in Alaska on Friday, Downing Street said the UK would stand with Kyiv until there was a “just” peace.
It came after the UK and European nations rallied in support of Ukraine at the weekend as a defiant Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the US president’s suggestion that a deal to end the war may involve giving up land to Russia.
Mr Trump has said the talks could include “some swapping of territories”.
But an angry president Zelensky hit back, insisting Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier”.
No 10 did not rule out that land could be ceded but said any decision on that was one for Ukraine.
Asked whether Sir Keir thought the Russian leader could be trusted in the peace talks, No 10 said: “Never trust President Putin as far as you could throw him, but we obviously will support Ukraine. We will obviously support President Trump and European nations as we enter these negotiations.
“But it is exactly why we’ve been leading this work on the coalition of the willing, because any ceasefire, as I say, cannot just be an opportunity for President Putin to go away, re-arm, restrengthen, and then go again.
“So we’re not going to leave it to trust. We’re going to ensure that we’re prepared such that we achieve a ceasefire.”
Sir Keir has held extensive talks with countries that make up the so-called ‘coalition of willing’ in recent months, including France, to scope out the kind of security guarantees that would be put in place if a peace deal was struck.
No 10 also said the UK would stand with Ukraine until there was a “just” peace and said Britain would “not reward aggression or compromise sovereignty”.
On Sunday vice-president JD Vance gave an insight into the US’s thinking as it goes into Friday’s talks, saying that Europe must spend more on Ukraine as he warned that America is “done with the funding of the war”.
The Kremlin has said that Trump and Putin would focus on discussing options for achieving a “long-term peaceful resolution” when they meet.
The Russian president is expected to use the summit to set out his demands, including that Ukraine give up two eastern regions as well as Crimea.
Announcing the talks to reporters at the White House on Friday, Mr Trump said any deal may include the “some swapping of territories”, adding: “We’re going to get some back. We’re going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
