UK won't be derailed by Ukraine aid freeze - Rayner

Sir Keir Starmer will not be "derailed" in working to end the war in Ukraine after the US paused military aid to the country, the deputy prime minister has said.

Angela Rayner said the prime minister was "laser focussed on getting peace" and would continue "dialogue" with both President Donald Trump and Europe.

She said this was "a very serious moment" in the war and stressed the UK, along with its European allies, were focused on supporting Ukraine.

The US president made the decision to freeze US military support for Ukraine on Monday, after a meeting with members of his top team.

Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Donald Trump on Monday night, Downing Street has said.

It is thought the call was before the US president paused military aid to Ukraine.

No 10 would not comment directly on the pause without seeing the details of the announcement, and did not say whether Sir Keir had been given any guidance from the US before the move.

The US is by far the biggest individual donor of military aid to Ukraine, providing weapons, equipment and financial support.

The US has committed about $66bn (£52bn) in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in 2022. The UK has committed £7.8bn in military support during the same period.

The US decision to pause military aid came hours after Trump criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for saying the end of the war with Russia is "very, very far away".

The pair had an explosive spat in the Oval Office last Friday, with Trump telling Zelensky he was "gambling with World War Three" by refusing to consider a ceasefire without US security guarantees.

Zelensky left the White House before a proposed deal on sharing Ukrainian minerals with American companies could be signed.

On Monday, the White House announced it was "reviewing" the delivery of ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine to "ensure that it is contributing to a solution".

The order to pause all current American military aid to Ukraine takes effect immediately, and includes all US military equipment not currently in Ukraine, including weapons in transit and at depots in Poland.

The pause will affect more than $1bn (£790m) in arms and ammunition, including rockets, anti-tank weapons, and armoured vehicles of the kind Ukraine has relied on in its effort to repel Russian forces.

The pause in aid will heap more pressure on Zelensky to sign the minerals deal and agree to peace talks without the US security guarantees he has been seeking.

Russia has tentatively welcomed the pause in US aid to Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it a "solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process".

Fedir Venislavsky, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament's defence committee, said his country had a weapons stockpile that would last six months "without consistent help from the US".

In an interview with Fox News, US Vice-President JD Vance said the door was open for Ukraine to return to negotiations if Zelensky was "willing to seriously talk peace".

Vance also drew criticism for saying that giving the US an "economic upside in the future of Ukraine" through the minerals deal was a better security guarantee for the country than "20,000 troops from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years".

So far only the UK and France have publicly committed troops towards policing any eventual peace deal in Ukraine, although Sir Keir has previously said a "number of countries" have agreed to commit troops.

Vance did not specify which country he was referring to, but later insisted he did not "mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond".

Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge had earlier accused Vance of ignoring the "sacrifice" of British and French troops, calling the comments "deeply disrespectful".

Reacting to the decision, Rayner told the BBC the Trump administration wanted Europe to step up and had been clear about its intentions to end the war in Ukraine.

Rayner said the prime minister was also "laser-focused on getting peace".

"He won't be derailed by announcements," Rayner told Radio 4's Today programme.

"He will continue that dialogue with our oldest and strongest ally, the US, and with European partners and with Ukraine."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the UK and Europe must "rearm faster" following the US announcement.

She said: "The news overnight that America is halting military aid to Ukraine is profoundly worrying."

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the pause in aid between the US and Ukraine only helped Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He posted: "I hope that Keir Starmer can use his new role to bring the two together and soon."

Last week, Sir Keir met Trump at the White House, as the prime minister attempted the shape the American approach to ending the war in Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Sir Keir hosted a summit of western leaders, as they scramble to shape peace negotiations and smooth over fractured relations between Trump and Zelensky.

The UK and France are taking a leading role and have both committed to send soldiers to Ukraine, under one proposal.

But apart from increasing spending on defence, there appears to be no consensus on a plan to end the war among European leaders.

On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a five-part plan to mobilise some €800bn (£660m) for Europe's defence and help provide "immediate" military support for Ukraine.

"This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up," von der Leyen said.

A UK government spokesperson said: "We remain absolutely committed to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine and are engaging with key allies in support of this effort.

"It is the right thing to do, and is in our interest to do so."