Opposition to NATO in Paris, October 2022 - Photo: Tehran Times

On Sunday March 2, Prime Minister Keir Starmer "convened international leaders at a summit in London" [1] with French President Macron, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy and some other European leaders from Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Romania, as well as Canada, Turkey and NATO. This so-called summit at Lancaster House, like the one before two weeks ago hosted by Macron in Paris [2] without Ukraine, also excluded most of the countries of the EU and Europe. This hastily put together summit focused on "strengthening Ukraine's position now - including ongoing military support and increased economic pressure on Russia". In other words, Starmer and Macron are attempting to lead Europe in the failing proxy war in Ukraine against Russia.

The summit of Starmer and Macron followed their visit last week to meet with President Donald Trump in the White House. According to reports they tried to secure US military support for a force of British and French NATO troops as "peacekeepers" in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US with Russia and Ukraine. According to these reports this US "backstop" to the Starmer/Macron plan was not agreed then at these meetings. Since then, commentators have said that the combined military strength of Britain and France will not be enough to tempt the US to join them as "peacekeepers" and risk war with Russia in Ukraine.

Despite the obsequious visit of Starmer to Trump setting out his stall to provide a "bridge" between Europe and the US and what Starmer imagined would be the trump card of an invitation by King Charles to pay a second state visit to the UK, President Trump, sensing the ability to control the material and human resources of the Ukraine, went ahead with his ultimatum to Volodomyr Zelenskyy. All parties were exposed in their true colours.

According to reports, Zelenskyy had also returned early to Britain from the US on Saturday, March 1, for the "international leaders" summit. The BBC reported that Zelensky "had been welcomed to the White House by Trump, but the cordial talks ended in a shouting match in front of the media in the Oval Office as Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to be more thankful for US aid and accused him of 'gambling with World War Three'." Zelenskyy appears to have been caught in a trap, to be presented with an offer he couldn't refuse, and was summarily shown the White House door. Starmer then gave Britain's firm support to Zelenskyy with a phone call the following day and again on his arrival Britain. Zelenskyy also met with King Charles later on the Sunday, in what was described "as a moment of royal solidarity with Ukraine". The fact is that both Starmer and Trump are playing with people's lives.

Starmer presents the aim as one of defence of Ukraine's sovereignty. However, in reality, one of the primary aims of Britain and France in is to maintain the interest of the huge war industries in Britain and France and to occupy Ukraine with their troops even if they are forced to accept peace. This was in line with the government's plan last week that Britain will increase its spend to 2.5% of its GDP on defence by 2027, cutting the foreign aid budget to fund the boost in military spending. Starmer had told the Commons that would mean spending £13.4bn more on defence every year from 2027. Last year the UK spent £53.9bn on defence. This move has received vehement opposition from all quarters interested in the people's well-being and opposed to the pro-war agenda of Starmer. It prompted the resignation of Analiese Dodds as Minister for International Development and for Women and Equalities, highlighting the divisions within the Labour Party itself as the anti-war and pro- social movements gain strength and militancy. The "difficult decisions" that Starmer refers to always involve the discovery that funding which favours the people is to be cut, in favour, in this case, of the military and military industries, with the lame excuse that the books have to be balanced.

Starmer tried to claim that one of the aims of the summit in London was to "present a peace plan to US president Donald Trump after a summit of European leaders in London today [3]." But this is not a "peace plan" when the UK and France are assembling what Starmer called a "coalition of the willing to enforce any peace deal for Ukraine" without Russian support. Starmer claimed that a "number of countries" had agreed to join this coalition at the summit.

The use of "coalition of the willing" is deliberate bombast and rather pathetically echoing the "might is right" and illegal actions of the "coalitions of the willing" of the former Prime Minister Tony Blair alongside US President Bush to invade and occupy many countries including Afghanistan and Iraq. This time such a "coalition of the willing" is supposedly for the "peacekeeping" stance of Starmer and Macron who claim to be leading Europe and the EU even though Britain is no longer in the EU. This when so many other leaders in the EU and Europe firmly oppose this dangerous move to send troops to Ukraine and are against war with Russia under the guise of "defence against Russia". Countries opposed to sending troops are Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and now Italy and Poland, whilst many other countries such as Germany have strong reservations.

Thus the roles of Starmer as promoter of endless war and of King Charles III as the embodiment of "soft power" are shameless. They have both been pressed into the service of the ambitions of the European as well and Anglo-US warmongering oligarchs to do their best and face off any peace proposal in their interests. Starmer and Macron are planning to send our youth into a war zone again in foreign lands for their interests which is not in the interests of the people of Ukraine. They want to continue their attempts to control Ukraine and embed their forces in Ukraine and in their war industries and armies. They want to continue to use Ukraine as their proxy against Russia now and in the future. They are against peace for all the peoples in Eurasia. This must not pass!

The world's people want peace; the working class and people Britain do not want the Ukraine war prolonged, or to send British or NATO troops into Ukraine. Sending British or NATO troops to Ukraine will never be accepted by the anti-war movement and peace-loving people. It would be a further escalation of the conflict and a blow to the establishment of a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia. The anti-war movement is determined to continue its vital stand on this issue and make it again central to the political life of the country to end Britain's support for arming and support for the war in Ukraine. Resistance is further growing in condemnation of Israeli genocide against the Palestinians and arming of Israel as well as in opposition to Britain's warmongering everywhere.

Not a single youth for imperialist war!
Fight for an anti-war government in Britain!
No to the further militarisation of the UK!
No to NATO! Yes to Peace!

Notes 1. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to host leaders summit on Ukraine - Press Release, March 1 2025
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-keir-starmer-to-host-leaders-summit-on-ukraine
2. Paris "informal summit": Sending British or NATO Troops to Ukraine as "Peacekeepers" Must Be Opposed, Workers' Weekly, February 22 2025
https://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-25/ww25-04/ww25-04-02.htm
3. Watch live: Keir Starmer holds press conference after Ukraine crisis talks with European leaders, Independent, Sunday March 2 2025
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/stamer-eu-press-conference-ukraine-crisis-livestream-b2707563.html

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