Keir Starmer announces £1.6 billion export finance deal to provide missiles to Ukraine
2 March 2025, 17:27 | Updated: 2 March 2025, 17:37
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a £1.6 billion deal to fund Ukraine missiles after European leaders gathered in London for a critical talks.
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Sir Keir Starmer has announced a new deal allowing Ukraine to use £1.6 billion of UK export finance to buy air defence missiles.
He said the 5,000 missiles will be manufactured in Belfast.
"This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure and strengthen Ukraine," he said.
Sir Keir said the purpose of today's meeting was to unite Europe behind a plan to stop the fighting in Ukraine.
He said: "This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act."
It comes as French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Mr Zelenskyy and leaders from Germany, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Finland and Romania, as well as the head of NATO all attended the critical conference at Lancaster House in central London.
Sir Keir said the UK is prepared to defend peace - including putting "boots on the ground" and "planes in the air".
"We are ready to do it with others," he said.
The Prime Minister urged that the UK must "step up and lead" the negotiations.
Sir Keir warned that Russia "cannot dictate the terms" of a peace deal.
"Otherwise we won't make any progress at all," he added.
He continued: ""What we have seen in the past is a cessation of hostilities without any backup and that was regularly breached by Russia.
"That is a situation we need to avoid."
A "number of countries" wanted to be part of the peace plan.
"I will leave them to make their own statements about how they want to make that contribution," he said.
Sir Keir, who has said that his "driving focus" is to bridge the gap between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy after their explosive row on Friday, hopes to work out a European peace deal that he can then take to the US.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told reporters that we urgently need "need to rearm Europe".
She added that Europe needs to "step up massively", and "member states need more fiscal space to do a surge in defence".
"We want the US to know that we are ready to defend democracy," she concluded.
After two hours of discussion, President Zelenskyy left before the other leaders and departed by helicopter to meet King Charles at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Opening the conference, the Prime Minister said: "In my conversations in recent days, we agreed a group of us will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, and then discuss that with the US and take it forward together.”
He told the leaders that they were at a "once in a generation moment for the security of Europe".
A large crowd of protesters gathered in central London to show their support for Ukraine. Sir Keir told the leaders this was a sign of the strength of feeling for Mr Zelenskyy's cause.
Before the summit itself, Sir Keir welcomed Ms Meloni to Downing Street for a meeting ahead of the summit. The two agreed on the need to avoid "the risk that the West divides" over Ukraine.
And in an earlier interview, Sir Keir insisted he trusted both Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy, and said that he believed the presidents wanted peace.
Meanwhile Russia's foreign minister praised Mr Trump for his approach to talks. "Donald Trump is a pragmatist,” Sergei Lavrov told a Russian newspaper.
“His slogan is common sense. It means, as everyone can see, a shift to a different way of doing things."
Earlier on Sunday, Sir Keir told the BBC that he watched Friday's disastrous meeting descend into chaos in his office, adding that "nobody wants to see that."
He said he called Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy after the meeting to refocus on "a lasting peace in Ukraine".
He added: "My driving purpose has been to to bridge this, if you like, and get us back to the central focus. And as a result of the meeting yesterday, we had quite a long time with President Zelensky, then President Macron and President Trump on the phone.
"We've now agreed that the United Kingdom, along with France and possibly one or two others, will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, and then we'll discuss that plan with the United States."
Sir Keir said he was "working hard" to bring about three components of a lasting peace in Ukraine.
"What I am clear about is that if there is to be a deal, if there is to be a stopping of the fighting, then that agreement has to be defended, because the worst of all outcomes is that there is a temporary pause and then Putin comes again.
"That has happened in the past, I think it is a real risk, and that is why we must ensure that if there's a deal it is a lasting deal, not a temporary pause."
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A security guarantee from the Americans is the subject of "intense" discussion, Sir Keir said.
He added: "For me, the components of a lasting peace are a strong Ukraine to fight on, if necessary, to be in a position of strength; to negotiate a European element to security guarantees, and that's why I've been forward-leaning on this about what we would do; and a US backstop.
"That's the package, all three parts need to be in place, and that's what I'm working hard to bring together."
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The Prime Minister, who announced a loan of over £2 billion to Ukraine to help with weapons production, and recently announced he would be hiking defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, said earlier that the war was "at a turning point".
His comments came with US, which has been Ukraine's primary backer, wavers in its support for Kyiv after a disastrous meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mr Trump has long been vocal about wanting to bring an end to the war - but many onlookers fear that Ukraine will not get an advantageous ceasefire deal.
At the same time, he has pushed for fellow NATO members to spend more on defence to lessen the burden on the US.
Starmer, who met with Zelenskyy in Downing Street on Saturday ahead of Sunday's summit, said: "Three years on from Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, we are at a turning point.
"Today I will reaffirm my unwavering support for Ukraine and double down on my commitment to provide capacity, training and aid to Ukraine, putting it in the strongest possible position.
"In partnership with our allies, we must intensify our preparations for the European element of security guarantees alongside continued discussions with the United States.
"We have an opportunity to come together to ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine that secures their sovereignty and security.
"Now is the time for us to unite in order to guarantee the best outcome for Ukraine, protect European security, and secure our collective future."
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After the Downing Street meeting, the Ukrainian president described a "meaningful and warm meeting" with Sir Keir - during which the two leaders agreed that the UK would give Kyiv a £2.26bn ($2.8bn) loan.
Posting on X after the meeting, Zelensky wrote: "This loan will enhance Ukraine’s defence capabilities and will be repaid using revenues from frozen Russian assets.
"The funds will be directed toward weapons production in Ukraine. This is true justice - the one who started the war must be the one to pay.
"I thank the people and government of the United Kingdom for their tremendous support from the very beginning of this war.
"We are happy to have such strategic partners and to share the same vision of what a secure future should look like for all."
Sir Keir embraced Zelenskyy before and after their meeting in Downing Street, as the Ukrainian leader gears up to meet King Charles on Sunday.
The amicable scenes with the British Prime Minister formed a sharp contrast with Zelenskyy's heated clash with Donald Trump in the White House the day before.
Keir Starmer walked up Downing Street to greet Zelenskyy and embraced the Ukrainian leader in a show of unity and support after the chaotic meeting with Trump.
Before the pair went off for a private meeting, Starmer turned to the cameras to reiterate the UK's support for Ukraine.
"You have the full backing across the United Kingdom, and we stand with you and Ukraine for as long as it may take," he said.
He spoke of the UK's "absolute" and "unwavering" determination to achieve "what we both want to achieve, which is... a lasting peace for Ukraine based on sovereignty and security".
Zelenskyy thanked Sir Keir for his support, and thanked King Charles III for accepting a meeting with him.
"We are happy to have such partners and such friends," he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine "remains partners" with the US despite "tough dialogue" as he touched down in the UK earlier on Saturday.
The Ukrainian president said: "America’s help has been vital in helping us survive, and I want to acknowledge that.
"Despite the tough dialogue, we remain strategic partners. But we need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals."
But he also said that he wanted the US to stand "more firmly by our side", while also saying he was "truly grateful" for American support so far.
Mr Zelenskyy was striking a more emollient tone after the chaos of Friday, when a meeting with Mr Trump and his vice-president JD Vance got heated.
Mr Trump accused him of gambling with World War Three, and his vice-president JD Vance also rounded on Mr Zelenskyy after he warned of the dangers of diplomacy with Vladimir Putin.
Plans for the two countries to sign a minerals agreement, which would see continued US military support in exchange for developing Ukraine's natural resources, were also put on hold when Mr Zelenskyy left the White House early after the astonishing scene.
Earlier, Mr Zelenskyy said:"People in Ukraine need to know that they are not alone, that their interests are represented in every country, in every corner of the world."
Friday's meeting descended into acrimony in front of the world's media, having begun relatively calmly. The problems appeared to begin after Vance raised the need for diplomacy.
Zelenskyy seemed to take issue with this, addressing the vice-president directly and saying that Putin could not be trusted, citing countless broken promises over the years.
Vance then accused Zelenskyy of being "disrespectful".
And with Zelenskyy warning that the US would feel the impact of the war if it continues, Trump interrupted saying: "Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem."
