Starmer gives Ukraine update on board plane to US ahead of crunch Trump meeting

Sir Keir Starmer released a video message while flying to Washington, D.C., ahead of his planned meeting with Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. In the video posted on Monday (18 August), Starmer spoke of the conflict's global impact, stating: "Three-plus years has hugely impacted the Ukrainians. But it's also impacted Europe." He noted that the war's effects on the United Kingdom, including rising energy costs and global supply chain disruptions, have fueled inflation and "impacted every single family and community." This comes as Trump, following a summit in Alaska with Putin, suggested that a swift peace agreement could be brokered if Zelensky were to give up eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region to Russia.