Keir Starmer: My message to Ukraine today

Colleagues, let me start with Vladimir and say on this day of all days I want to pay tribute to your leadership Vladimir and friends it is right that we mark this grim anniversary together. For three years we have been united in opposition to Russia's barbaric invasion and for three years we've been full of admiration for the incredible response of the Ukrainian people. Their voices must be at the heart of the drive for peace and I want to be clear that I hear them. I think of the soldiers and the civilians that I met in Kyiv just a few weeks ago in the ICU, the witnesses to the horror of the future, the school children I met living under constant bombardment, the soldiers training in the UK bound on the front line, their voices echoed in my ears they informed the decisions that I take and the peace that I believe that we must see. So I have a very simple clear message today. The UK is with you today and every day from his majesty the king to the NHS workers volunteering in hospitals in Ukraine, to the communities that took Ukrainian refugees to their heart and that's why I signed our 100 year partnership with President Zelensky last month because we believe in Ukraine's fight today and the country's incredible potential to thrive in the years to come. This is a time for unity. In this crucial moment as talks begin we must work together to shape the outcome. Russia does not hold all the cards in this war because the Ukrainians have the courage to defend their country, because Russia's economy is in trouble and because they have now lost the best of their land forces and their black sea fleet in this pointless invasion. So we must increase the pressure even further to deliver an enduring peace not just a pause in the fighting and we can do that in three ways. First by stepping up our military support to Ukraine and the UK is doing that providing 4.5 billion pounds in military aid this year more than ever before. We're doing more than ever to train Ukrainian troops helping Ukraine to mobilize even further and we're proud to have taken on the leadership of the Ukraine defense contact group. Secondly we must keep dialling up the economic pressure to get Putin to a point where he is ready not just to talk but to make concessions. So today we're announcing the UK's largest packet of sanctions since the early days of the war going after Russia's shadow fleet and going over going after companies in China and elsewhere who are sending military components. Later today I will be discussing further steps with the G7 and I'm clear that the G7 should be ready to take on more risk including the oil price cap, sanctioning Russia's oil giants and going after the banks that are enabling the evasion of sanctions. Third we must bring our collective strength to the peace effort. President Trump has changed the global conversation over the last few weeks and it has created an opportunity. Now we must get the fundamentals right. If we want peace to endure Ukraine must have a seat at the table and any settlement must be based on a sovereign Ukraine backed up with strong security guarantees. The UK is ready and willing to support this with troops on the ground with other Europeans and with the right conditions in place and ultimately a US backstop will be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion in just a few years time. So we will do everything we can to get the best outcome for Ukraine and for us all. Let me close with one of the voices I mentioned earlier a patient called Petro from the Burns unit that I visited in Kyiv. He said to me if Ukraine fails Europe will be left. That is what is at stake here. That is why we will always stand with Ukraine and with our allies against this aggression and for a just and lasting peace. Slava Ukraine. Thank you.