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Rayner insists UK support for Ukraine 'unwavering' despite Trump's plan for 'immediate' peace talks with Putin
12 February 2025, 19:06
Watch Again: Andrew Marr speaks to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner | 12/02/25
The Deputy Prime Minister has insisted that UK support for Kyiv remains unchanged, despite Donald Trump planning immediate peace talks.
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Angela Rayner told LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr that the UK would "continue to support Ukraine to put them in the best possible position to defend their land".
It came shortly after Mr Trump said that he had spoken to Russian president Vladimir Putin, and that negotiations on ending the three-year war would begin "immediately".
Mr Trump's Secretary of Defence also warned on Wednesday that European countries would now have to provide "the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine".
The US' reduced support for Ukraine is momentous, as Washington has been the country's main sponsor against the Russian invasion.
The UK, along with Germany and others, has also played a considerable role - but if the Trump administration no longer gives its financial backing to Ukraine, the country's war effort is likely to be significantly compromised.
But Ms Rayner insisted on Wednesday night that "we're not going to change our position", despite Mr Trump's comments.
She said: "We've been really clear, and the previous government was clear on this as well: The illegal war in Ukraine by President Putin is completely unacceptable. We'll continue to support Ukraine to put them in the best possible position to defend their land.
"And the Prime Minister spoke about this at Prime Minister's questions earlier today. And we're absolutely committed to that. And we'll continue to do that, you know, and we'll continue to work with our allies, whether that's in Europe or in the US, to make sure Putin cannot get away with an illegal war that he's inflicted on the people of Ukraine."
Asked if Europe on its own can protect Ukraine, the deputy Prime Minister repeated only that the UK would continue its discussions with European allies and the US on the subject, but would not waver in its support for Ukraine."
Ms Rayner added that she hoped that the US "will play a part in that.
"Now, I don't know what part in that that will be, but that will be for the US to decide."
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Ms Rayner would also not be drawn on whether the UK would provide peacekeeping troops to patrol the border in the event of a ceasefire.
Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that US troops would not be involved in such a role.
At a Nato meeting in Brussels earlier in the day, America's defence secretary said Europe should be "empowered" to "own responsibility for its own security".
Mr Trump and Mr Putin spoke for about 90 minutes, according to a Kremlin spokesperson - and the US president is also set to visit Moscow for negotiations on Ukraine.
Mr Hegseth also warned that Ukraine's Nato membership plans an "unrealistic" prospect.
Speaking earlier on Wednesday, he said that Washington would "no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship" with its allies.
But Mr Hegseth also said that "the United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defence partnership with Europe, full stop."
Earlier, Defence Secretary John Healey sought to play down splits between the UK and Washington and said that "for now" allies' focus should be getting Ukraine into a strong position for peace talks.
Mr Healey said: "What he (Mr Hegseth) set out was his commitment, President Trump's commitment, like ours, to see a durable peace to this conflict."
He added: "We, as a Nato alliance, to which he also gave the firmest possible continuing commitment, have always been clear that Ukraine's rightful place is in Nato.
"That is a process that will take some time, and for now, our duty, my duty, as a defence minister, the duty of the nations around that table, is to make sure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position going into any talks in the future."
