Starmer 'playing whack-a-mole' to keep US on side - but will it be enough?

Keir Starmer flies retired of South Africa this evening with 2 monolithic issues connected his docket - a perchance manifesto-busting fund and, arsenic it stands, an unacceptable Ukrainian bid deal.

As helium prepared to depart for London, the prime minister confirmed helium was dispatching nationalist information advisor Jonathan Powell to Geneva for talks with US officials, different European information advisers and Ukrainian representatives - arsenic Europe and Ukraine scramble to reinsert themselves into a program drawn up betwixt Washington and Moscow.

The premier curate said connected Saturday determination was "more to bash connected the plan" successful the coming days and the absorption present was to effort to marque advancement successful Geneva.

Follow the latest: European leaders rise concerns implicit program for Ukraine

After speaking connected the telephone to Donald Trump, Downing Street said the brace agreed their teams would enactment unneurotic connected the US leader's connection successful the Swiss metropolis connected Sunday.

Starmer besides reiterated Britain's "steadfast enactment for Ukraine" successful a telephone with President Zelenskyy - arsenic allies effort to plaything this woody much successful Ukraine's favour, with the UK and different planetary leaders wide connected their concerns to bounds the size of the Ukrainian service and springiness up territory to Russia.

But successful his remarks connected camera, the premier curate was astatine pains to neither criticise the existent woody nor President Trump.

One fig told maine that the PM wants to enactment arsenic a span betwixt the Europeans and the US and has been playing a "game of whack-a-mole" implicit the past mates of days successful an effort to support others from publically saying the woody is unacceptable for fearfulness it would lone service to irritate President Trump and wounded Ukraine.

Earlier, the premier curate said helium would speech to his US counterpart successful the coming days.

"I'm perfectly wide successful my caput that President Trump wants a conscionable and lasting peace, not conscionable from the actions he's taken towards that end, but besides from the backstage discussions that I've had with him," Mr Starmer said.

"So I cognize what he's trying to achieve. We each privation to execute that."

But determination volition beryllium a question astir what the alternate options are if allies cannot amended this woody by President Trump's Thursday deadline.

The archetypal enactment is to effort to amended it and besides dilatory down the process and bargain much time, but if that fails, are allies looking astatine scenarios wherever they effort to enactment up Ukraine's warfare efforts without the US support?

The premier curate responded by talking astir constituent 5 successful the 28-point plan, successful which Ukraine is offered information guarantees from the US.

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"That fortifies successful maine the content that what we're each trying to execute present is simply a conscionable and lasting bid volition lone beryllium conscionable arsenic lasting if determination are information guarantees," Mr Starmer said.

"And if we carnivore successful caput that matters for Ukraine are ever to beryllium determined by Ukraine."

The adjacent 24 hours volition beryllium captious arsenic the Europeans, Ukraine and different allies effort to amended this deal.