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With Donald Trump set to be one of the two possible occupants of the White House in January, the stakes for the future of Ukraine could not be higher as US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met in Washington twice in the last three. month.
It adds a new level of intrigue to Friday’s face-off between Starmer and Biden. The two allies gathered at the White House to talk about Ukraine policy, but in just a few months, Starmer will have to work with — or against — the new US leader.
Biden, who announced nearly two months ago that he would withdraw from his bid for re-election, will leave office on January 20.
His replacement could be Trump, who has announced that his approach to Russia’s war in Ukraine will cut off American aides, let Russia win, and possibly even pull America out of the NATO alliance.
Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has taken the opposite stance, reiterating America’s commitment to Ukraine if she is elected. Starmer won’t know who he’s dealing with until November at the earliest, and he won’t take office until January.
In Washington, at the invitation of Biden, the Prime Minister has met at a crossroads as Kyiv pushes to allow the use of British-made Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia as a way to push back against Vladimir Putin’s continued war. the army fell.
It was a decision Starmer couldn’t make on his own.
Although Starmer was able to authorize the use of British missiles to strike Russian targets far from the country’s border with Ukraine, he could not give approval to use the target data that would have enabled the attack because it was controlled by the US. Department of Defense.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested that America will agree to change the policy that has so far prevented Kyiv from attacking Russian territory with missiles supplied by the West.
White House spokesman John Kirby on Thursday said no decision was made to reverse the policy during the meeting between Biden and Starmer.
But during the part of the sitting open to the press, the Prime Minister said that the discussion was on the agenda, Biden said: “the next few weeks and months could be important, very important” for Ukraine. defense in what he called “this important war of freedom.”
“I think that historically, we have shown the strength of our relationship, that we are aligned strategically. We have a common cause on this global issue, so it is very important for us to have the opportunity to talk, not only the facts, but also the broader strategy that support, so thank you for the invitation,” he said. said.
A White House readout of the meeting said Biden and Starmer had “in-depth discussions on a range of foreign policy issues of mutual interest” and “reaffirmed our unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russian aggression.”
But a decision to allow Kyiv to use longer-range weapons is not forthcoming.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting ended, the Prime Minister said the sit-down was not yet “about a specific decision” and said discussions would continue when the two meet again on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this week. month, along with what he described as a “wider group of individuals.”
Still, it could all be moot if Trump leads Harris in the November election, as the one-time and possibly future president has made it clear he intends to cut back on support for Moscow.
But Starmer refused to discuss the contingencies for that result – or anything else when pressed by reporters before the motorcycle ride.
“There is only one reason we are having this discussion, and that Putin has illegally invaded Ukraine, and the biggest way to resolve this problem obviously lies through whether Putin is right, because he is manipulating this,” he said. have a discussion, we stand with Ukraine. Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and we are united, not only with our allies here in the US, but with our NATO allies.
