Starmer Steps Out From Trump’s Shadow With His Latest Words On Putin

Keir Starmer has insisted Vladimir Putin is “the aggressor” in the war in Ukraine – a day after Donald Trump thanked the Russian president for his efforts to end the conflict.

The prime minister said “the war could be ended tomorrow” if Putin withdrew his troops from Ukraine.

His comments are in stark contrast to Trump’s warm words about the Russian leader after the pair had a 90-minute phone call on Wednesday and agreed to start negotiations “immediately” on a peace deal.

Trump said: “We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together.

“But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it.

“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s nations.”

The president added: “I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call.”

In later comments, Trump even appeared to suggest that Ukraine had entered the war voluntarily, rather than as a result of being invaded.

He said: “Their people are being killed and I think they have to make peace. I said that was not a good war to go into and I think they have to make peace, that’s what I think.”

But in an interview with ITV on Thursday, Starmer said: “Putin is the aggressor. Putin’s in breach of the UN Charter, in my view. And this conflict could be ended tomorrow if Putin withdrew his troops. And so for me, that would be the simplest and the quickest way to end this conflict.”

The prime minister also insisted that Ukraine must not be excluded from any negotiations to end the war.

He said: “Ukrainians want peace. Those that have had to flee the country want to go back to their country. But this has to be led by Ukraine. There’s no negotiations about Ukraine which doesn’t involve Ukraine, and Ukraine needs to be in the strongest possible position.”

Starmer also said the UK would “play its part” in any security guarantee for Ukraine, but that it should also have American backing – despite US defence secretary Pete Hegseth insisting that European nations must be responsible for policing any ceasefire deal.