Keir Starmer waited until late morning on Thursday, February 13, to react to the announcement of Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine. "There can't be any negotiations without Ukraine being at the heart of it," said the British prime minister. "It's really important that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position, whether that's in discussions or whether it's continued fighting," he added. There was no question of criticizing the US president's obvious disdain for Europe and the British in particular (despite the UK's allegedly "special" relationship with the United States), with Washington having taken the initiative to negotiate directly with Moscow.

Nor, for the time being, is there any question of London discussing the Americans' rejection of a future for Ukraine within NATO, a position that the British had previously defended: "We share President Trump's desire to bring this barbaric war to an end (...). The United Kingdom will continue to play a leading role in NATO and in helping Ukraine," the Downing Street spokesperson said on Thursday.

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