The UK Government has been urged to back Ukraine after Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin.
The US President said he and the Russian leader had agreed to start talks on ending the conflict. Trump said they had agreed to “work together, very closely” on bringing the three-year conflict to an end in a phone conversation on Wednesday.
The SNP and Lib Dems warned the Labour Government that Ukraine “cannot be bullied into losing land to Putin’s brutal invasion”.
The SNP’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Stephen Gethins said: “The fact is they are celebrating in the Kremlin right now. There can be no peace talks that don’t involve our European partners and most importantly Ukraine.
“Ukraine cannot be bullied into losing land to Putin’s brutal invasion and the UK must wake up to a new reality that demands a much closer relationship with Europe as the United States becomes an increasingly unreliable ally.
“There must be a red line that rewarding violence is never acceptable. To give into Putin and cede Ukraine’s territorial integrity leaves us all in peril and our European allies understand this – it’s time for the UK to get over itself with its outdated Brexit isolationism and work as closely as possible with the rest of Europe on our common security.”
The US has suggested that as part of a peace deal Ukraine must accept it will have to give up some territory to Russia and Nato membership is not a realistic prospect.
But Nato’s official position – endorsed by Keir Starmer’s Government in the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership – is that Kyiv is on an “irreversible” path to joining the alliance.
Scottish Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael said in the Commons on Thursday morning: “Viewed from Washington, the idea of carving up the map in Europe might look like a pragmatic deal, even if history tells us that this always ends badly. Surely in Europe we understand that no matter what we give Vladimir Putin, he’s always going to want more.”
He added afterwards: “This is a moment in which the government has the opportunity and indeed the responsibility to be bold in responding to the threats that we face. That means squaring up to the needs of our defence in an increasingly dangerous world but it also means acting to build stronger links with our democratic allies now, rather than later. Making excuses for isolationism is a luxury we can no longer afford.”
UK Defence Secretary John Healey said: “We’ve seen the calls from President Trump overnight and we all want to see a durable peace and no return to conflict and aggression – and let’s not forget, Russia remains a threat well beyond Ukraine.
“So, my message in these discussions will be that there can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine and Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks.
“Ukrainians are fighting bravely … it’s our job as defence ministers here at Nato, to put them in the best position to secure a lasting peace through strength.”
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