LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood by Ukraine joining NATO just a day after Donald Trump’s defense secretary rejected the idea.
Starmer made the comments as he was questioned on the U.S. president’s announcement that he’ll begin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Pressed on whether he backed U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s assertion that Ukrainian membership of the military alliance is not a “realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” Starmer told ITV News: “My position is the NATO position.”
He added: “This was discussed at the summit that we had last year in
Washington, where it was agreed amongst all NATO members that there should be an irreversible path of Ukraine to NATO membership.”
Pressed on whether the U.K. would now back away from this aim in light of Hegseth’s comments, Starmer said: “No, obviously nobody was expecting [NATO membership] to be immediate. It was a pathway over time. But what matters most, I think, is that we stand by Ukraine.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the British prime minister pointedly did not echo Trump’s praise for Putin, who the U.S. president has described as a “genius” and “savvy.”
Starmer said: “Putin is the aggressor here.”
He added: “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.”
UK’s Starmer insists Ukraine should join NATO after Trump scotches idea
Source: Viral Showbiz Pinay
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