Ukraine-Russia latest: Starmer reins in Trump criticism in plea for US ‘backstop’ on anniversary of war

Eastern European countries with Russian-speaking populations could be at risk of Russian invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky warned.

The “most dangerous moment”, he said is when countries in Eastern Europe have people with “Russian roots” – not because they themselves pose any threat, but because the Kremlin will use their safety as a pretence for invasion.

Mr Zelensky named Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Moldova and Estonia.

It was the same, he added, when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and invaded the Donbas.

“At the very beginning, they said that they are not occupying our territories… they defend Russian-speaking people,” he said.

Labour defence select committee chair Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi has called on Keir Starmer to “take a lead” on defence in Europe.

It comes as both foreign secretary David Lammy and his Tory shadow Dame Priti Patel have said Europe needs to shoulder more of the burden of defence in Europe.

Mr Singh Dhesi said that “transactional relationships” with allies like the US can no longer be relied on and pushed for Sir Keir to take more of a lead.

His words were echoed in even stronger terms by Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller who said “President Trump has shown he cannot be trusted on defence”.

However, Mr Lammy continues to carefully walk the tightrope and say he agrees with Trump in wanting to bring peace and Europe to spend more on defence.

Ukraine and the US are working “productively” on a controversial rare earth minerals deal, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Donald Trump has demanded preferential access to around $500bn of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals under the agreement as repayment for Washington’s military support over the last three years.

Last week, Mr Zelensky dismissed the idea as “not serious”, saying there was no factual basis for claiming the US was owed $500bn, as well as the deal providing Ukraine with no security guarantees.

On Sunday, Mr Zelensky again refused to acknowledge the $500bn figure and said grants should not be treated as loans. He said there could be no format for the deal if it forced Ukraine to repay money for aid already given to Kyiv.

“I will not sign what ten generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back,” the Ukrainian leader said.

However, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Olga Stefanishyna said on Monday that the deal was in the final stages of negotiations and “nearly all key details” have been finalised.

Ukraine could join the European Union within five years if reforms continue, president of the EU commission Ursula von der Leyen said.

“I really appreciate the political will that is there. I would even say Ukraine’s merit-based process, if they continue at that speed and at that quality, perhaps they could be earlier than 2030”, Ms von der Leyen said.

EU Council president Antonio Costa added that accession to the EU would be the most important security guarantee for the future of Ukraine.

Chinese president Xi Jinping reaffirmed his “no limits” partnership with Russia in a phone call with president Vladimir Putin on Monday, China’s state media reported.

The leaders discussed recent talks between Washington and Moscow in Saudi Arabia, with the Trump administration looking to push for a quick deal to end the Ukraine war.

“China-Russia relations have strong internal driving force and unique strategic value, and are not aimed at, nor are they influenced by, any third party,” said Xi, according to the official readout published by Chinese state media.

“The development strategies and foreign policies of China and Russia are long-term,” Xi saie, adding that the two countries “are good neighbours that cannot be moved apart”.

China and Russia declared a “no limits” strategic partnership days before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Xi has met Putin over 40 times in the past decade and Putin in recent months described China as an ally.

In a statement, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said a “milestone package” of 107 new sanctions will be implemented to “target funds going into Putin’s war chest and propping up Russia’s kleptocratic system.”

Targets of the sanctions include producers and suppliers of machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military that are based in a range of third countries including Central Asian states, Turkey, Thailand, India and China.

Speaking at a press conference in at the Support Ukraine summit in Kyiv, EU Council president Antonia Costa has commended Ukraine for writing a “new playbook” on wartime governance.

“It is very impressive what Ukraine is making, because in fact Ukraine is writing a new playbook [on] how to make reforms in wartime.”

Mr Costa was speaking on the possibility of Ukrainian accession to the EU.

“Ukrainian accession to the EU will be the most important security guarantee for the future of Ukraine,” he said. “We have already decided that this new institutional cycle will be the institutional cycle of enlargement, to Ukraine, to Moldova, to western Balkans, and we don’t know with Georgia.

“It is a merit-based process and we are working hard, from the European Commission to the different candidate states.”