UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will urge US President Donald Trump on Thursday to provide American military cover to secure peace in Ukraine and to make it clear to Vladimir Putin that any future Russian aggression would be repelled.
Starmer will use the talks at the White House — including one-on-one discussions and a lunch — to reassure Trump that Europe will “step up” and bolster its own defences, including providing troops on the ground to help secure any peace in Ukraine.
In return he wants Trump to provide a US “backstop” to support a European stabilisation force in Ukraine, including air cover, heavy lift aircraft, aerial intelligence and missiles. Starmer said that without such cover, Vladimir Putin would “come again” for Ukraine.
