Starmer announces £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine

Sir Keir Starmer has announced a £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine, following a summit of European leaders in London.

The prime minister also announced "a number" of allies had signed up to a "coalition of the willing", alongside France's President Emmanuel Macron, prepared to commit troops to the Ukrainian frontline in the event of a peace deal.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the meeting, where 17 European leaders and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau discussed next steps in securing peace for Ukraine.

The Lancaster House summit in London comes after a televised press conference from the White House, where President Trump told Zelensky he was not grateful enough for US support.

"My support for Ukraine is unwavering," said Sir Keir, adding he felt a personal responsibility to end Russia's illegal war and guarantee Ukraine "a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security".

"I am also clear that national security is economic security," he said. "As well as levelling up Ukraine's air defence, this loan will make working people here in the UK better off, boosting our economy and supporting jobs in Northern Ireland and beyond.

"By doubling down on our support, working closely with key partners, and ensuring Ukraine has a strong voice at the table, I believe we can achieve a strong, lasting deal that delivers a permanent peace in Ukraine."

Sir Keir will now discuss his four-step plan with Trump, aiming to persuade the US leader to provide a security guarantee for Ukraine.

The PM said his coalition "will intensify planning now, with real urgency" and reiterated that the "UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air".

He said: "Together with others, Europe must do the heavy-lifting but to support peace in our continent and to succeed, this effort must have strong US backing. We're working with the US on this point."

Speaking to journalists after the summit, the PM said he did "not accept that the US is an unreliable ally", and that the discussions formed a plan that would see the US as allies.

The deal will allow Ukraine to use £1.6bn of export finance to buy more than 5,000 air defence missiles, which will be made in Belfast.

Sir Keir added: "This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure now, and strengthen Ukraine in securing the peace when it comes, because we have to learn from the mistakes of the past."

The PM referred to the Minsk ceasefire deal, made a decade ago between Putin and the then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and violated by Putin.

Sir Keir said Ukraine must be able to negotiate peace from a position of strength, and the advanced air defence missiles would enable that.

The deal will also create 200 jobs in Northern Ireland and directly support a further 700 jobs in the UK, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said, through the manufacture of more than 5,000 lightweight-multirole missiles (LMM), which will treble production at Thales factory in Belfast.

Earlier this week, the government announced defence spending will rise to 2.5% of national income by 2027 and rise again to 3% "in the next parliament", giving a rough deadline of 2034.

The UK is at a "critical moment" for the future of Ukraine and the security of us all in Europe, Defence Secretary John Healey said.

He said: "This new support will help protect Ukraine against drone and missile attacks but it will also help deter further Russian aggression following any end to the fighting.

"This new deal delivers on the UK's ironclad commitment to step up military support for Ukraine, whilst boosting jobs and growth at home."

The missile deal is part of a series of "mega-projects" for Ukraine, being delivered by the MoD's Hirst taskforce, which aims to build long-term relationships with Ukrainian industry to restore and modernise their defence industrial base.

This builds on the 100 Year Partnership signed by the PM and Zelensky in Kyiv in January, which commits to £3bn a year of export finance to acquire military equipment from UK companies.

The UK National Armaments Director Andy Start described the latest move as a "critical next step" for the taskforce.

He said: "The UK's defence industry has supported Ukraine from the start of the war and this important contract underlines industry's ability to scale up production at pace to deliver the world-class defence equipment Ukraine requires.

"The substantial increase in LMM production capacity will benefit both Ukraine's fight tonight, as well as the longer-term security of the UK."