By Catarina Demony
LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country would work to ensure the U.S. and Europe remained together and that they should not allow divisions to distract them from “external enemies”, the BBC reported on Saturday.
Starmer’s comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy said at the Munich Security Conference earlier on Saturday that Europe would not have a seat at the table for Ukraine peace talks.
Senior officials from Trump’s administration are expected to start peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
In the meantime, France is discussing with its allies holding an informal summit of European leaders to discuss Ukraine, and four European diplomats said the meeting was likely to go ahead on Monday.
The BBC said Starmer was expected to attend the summit in Paris. Starmer’s office did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
“This is a once in a generation moment for our national security where we engage with the reality of the world today and the threat we face from Russia,” Starmer said, cited by the BBC. “It’s clear Europe must take on a greater role in NATO as we work with the U.S. to secure Ukraine’s future and face down the threat we face from Russia.”
The BBC also quoted Starmer saying Britain would “work to ensure we keep the U.S. and Europe together”, adding the two could not “allow any divisions in the alliance to distract” from “external enemies”.
According to the BBC, Starmer, who wants Kyiv at the heart of any ceasefire talks, will discuss the views of European leaders when he visits Trump in Washington.
Trump said on Friday he had agreed to meet Starmer and that the British leader wanted to travel to the U.S. in the coming weeks.
Starmer has been walking a diplomatic tightrope as he seeks a “reset” in relations with the European Union, which Britain quit five years ago, just as Trump threatens the bloc with tariffs.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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