Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, FT Editor, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Sir Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, will call on G20 leaders to “double down” on their support for Ukraine, as he seeks to rally support for Kyiv ahead of Donald’s US presidential inauguration Trump in January.
In a dig at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who this week spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Starmer said: “Who he talks to is a matter for Chancellor Scholz. I have no intention of talking to Putin.”
Starmer arrives G20 Monday’s summit comes at a crucial moment for the West following US President Joe Biden’s decision to approve Ukraine’s use of US long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.
The British prime minister has for months been talking to Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron about the possibility of deploying Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missile and its French Scalp equivalents in Kyiv for the same purpose. The British and French governments were reluctant to approve the use of missiles without American approval.
Downing Street has so far refused to say whether Starmer approved Storm Shadows being used against Russian targets, but the prime minister will face questions on the issue on Monday .
Speaking ahead of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Starmer said: “I will put supporting Ukraine at the top of my agenda as we enter the G20 because we have seen 1,000 days invasion, 1,000 days of sacrifice. Ukrainians.”
Starmer said that the participation of North Korea’s military alongside the Russian military has additional “security implications” for Europe and the Pacific region.
“I think it’s really important that we redouble our efforts and give Ukraine the support they need for as long as they need it,” Starmer said. “Obviously I won’t discuss the possibility. You wouldn’t expect me to do that.”
“We cannot let Putin win. I think that would be extremely bad for security in Europe. I think with the North Korea factor, it will be extremely bad for security in the Indo-Pacific.”
Starmer discussed Ukraine at a dinner with Trump in New York in September and said he had a “constructive relationship” with the president-elect.
“It is a special relationship forged under historically difficult circumstances,” he said. “And I intend to make sure it’s as strong as it’s ever been.”
Starmer declined to say whether he predicted Trump would be invited for a state visit to London, a move backed by new Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
“I had a constructive meeting with president-elect Trump a few weeks ago, a constructive discussion with him on the phone the other day, but I’m not going to get ahead of things,” he said. Asked if he would rule out a state visit, he said: “No.”
Trump paid a state visit to Britain in 2019 during his first term as president.
