Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will talk to Donald Trump about his peace plan which Ukraine’s allies have said needs revision “in the coming days”.
The Prime Minister also expects to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later on Saturday, a day before US, Ukrainian and European national security advisers (NSAs) gather in Switzerland to “go through quite a bit of detail”.
The Prime Minister and other international leaders have pushed back against the US-drafted plan for Ukraine, raising concerns about proposals to make Kyiv limit its armed forces and give up territory and its path to Nato membership.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, following their meeting at the Johannesburg G20 summit, shunned by Donald Trump, the leaders called Washington’s plan drawn up secretly with Moscow “a basis which will require additional work”.
Sir Keir told reporters in Johannesburg: “We are concerned about (caps on military) because it’s fundamental that Ukraine has to be able to defend itself if there’s a ceasefire.”
He said that the allies of Ukraine agreed that “there are elements in the 28-point plan which are essential to lasting peace, but it requires additional work, and that we are going to engage on that.”
“And that’s why there’s been the agreement that in Geneva tomorrow, you’ll have senior US personnel, you’ll have European NSAs, including the UK NSA, and obviously Ukrainians there to work further on the draft.”
Mr Trump has said he wants a response to the peace plan from Ukraine by Thursday, while suggesting an extension could be possible.
Asked about whether that deadline is realistic, Sir Keir said: “Obviously, I think it should be done as soon as possible, but it’s got to be a just and lasting peace, and so we’ve got to get it right.
“I think we’ll be in a better position to know once the meeting in Geneva has taken place tomorrow, because that’s the opportunity for the US Ukraine and European NSAs to go through quite a bit of detail.”
Sir Keir appears not to have recently spoken to Mr Trump, who shunned the South Africa G20 summit.
Asked whether they had been in touch since the emergence of the peace plan, the Prime Minister told journalists: “I’m in touch with him fairly regularly, as you know, and I’ll no doubt talk to him in the coming days.”
The 28-point plan is said to have been negotiated by the US president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev, with Kyiv and European allies left out of the process.
Mr Witkoff and US secretary of state Marco Rubio will attend the Geneva talks for the US, according to a person familiar with the plans.
UK NSA Jonathan Powell is understood to have left the G20 summit in South Africa early to head to Switzerland.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video address to his nation, said Ukrainian representatives at the talks in Switzerland “know how to protect Ukrainian national interests and exactly what is needed to prevent Russia from carrying out” another invasion.
“Real peace is always based on security and justice,” the Ukrainian leader added.