Some way from negotiated peace, says Lammy, as Ukraine conflict dominates Munich

“We are some way from a negotiated peace” between Russia and Ukraine, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has suggested, as Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants “security guarantees” ahead of peace talks.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the Ukrainian leader that Britain is committed to Ukraine being on an “irreversible path” to joining Nato, after the US appeared to rule out its membership.

The war in Ukraine has dominated the agenda as global leaders gathered in Munich for a security conference, in the week that US President Donald Trump said he has agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to start “negotiations” to end the conflict.

The UK has been clear that talks about a peace deal must involve Ukraine, amid fears in western capitals of Washington and Moscow negotiating European security over the heads of leaders on the continent.

Mr Zelensky met US vice president JD Vance at the gathering in Germany on Friday, and said he was “thankful” for US support but wanted guarantees on security,

“We want, really, we want peace very much. But we need real security guarantees,” he told broadcasters.

Mr Lammy was at the conference and discussed the conflict in a separate meeting with Mr Vance.

Speaking to broadcasters after the meeting he said “we are some way from a negotiated peace” and pledged the UK’s continued support for Ukraine.

He said he and the vice president “share the view that there has to be an enduring peace” and agreed that Ukraine would “have to be part of that negotiated deal”.

The Foreign Secretary also described his meeting with Mr Vance as “very good” and that the pair built on “the special relationship that the United States and the UK enjoy”.

He added: “Negotiations have not yet begun. These are talks, if you like, about talks, and we will continue to support Ukraine.”

“I was very encouraged in our conversations about Ukraine. All of us have this desire to bring this horrendous war to an end,” Mr Lammy said.

Mr Vance sought to play down the prospect of a split between Washington and Westminster, saying at the start of the meeting the “special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States will remain very strong”.

Earlier on Friday the Prime Minister spoke to Mr Zelensky and reiterated the UK’s position on a Nato spot for Ukraine, in an intervention that contrasts with Washington’s position that membership for Kyiv is not a realistic prospect.

In a readout of his conversation with Mr Zelensky, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister began by reiterating the UK’s concrete support for Ukraine, for as long as it’s needed.

“He was unequivocal that there could be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine.

“The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato, as agreed by allies at the Washington Summit last year.”

The leaders agreed it was an “important moment to demonstrate international unity and support for Ukraine” and “agreed to stay in close contact”, and that Kyiv needs further lethal aid and a sovereign future, the statement added.

Mr Lammy also met the widow of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny at the gathering, nearly a year on from his death, as Britain announced fresh sanctions on key figures with links to Mr Putin’s inner circle.

Pavel Fradkov, a Russian defence minister, and Vladimir Selin, who heads an arm of the Kremlin’s defence ministry, were hit with UK asset freezes and travel bans.

A photograph posted on the Foreign Secretary’s X account showed Mr Lammy with Yulia Navalnaya, almost a year to the day since her husband died in a Russian prison.

In the post the Foreign Secretary said: “Nearly a year after the death of Alexei Navalny, I made clear our commitment to weaken Putin’s attempts to stifle opposition to Yulia Navalnaya.

“We will continue to do all we can to constrain the Kremlin – today’s sanctions are take aim (sic) at Putin’s inner circle.”

Mr Trump said he had spoken to Mr Putin on Wednesday and agreed to “work together, very closely” to bring an end to the war as it nears its three-year anniversary.

He has said Ukraine should have a seat at the table of any discussions, but also that he can “trust” Mr Putin and that he wants Russia to be readmitted to the G7, from which it was removed over its 2014 invasion of Crimea.

America has already appeared to make some concessions, suggesting that Kyiv must accept it will have to give up some territory to the Kremlin, and that the country joining Nato was out of the question.

That position is a major blow to Mr Zelensky, as admission of new nations to the military bloc requires unanimous approval from existing members.

Meanwhile, Nato’s official stance, endorsed by Sir Keir’s Government in the UK/Ukraine 100-year partnership and reiterated by the Prime Minister on Friday, is that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to joining the alliance.