Sir Keir Starmer vows UK and US are ‘strategically aligned’ against Vladimir Putin as he begins White House talks over Ukraine with Joe Biden

Sir Keir Starmer has arrived at the White House in Washington DC ahead of his meeting with US president Joe Biden as the pair are expected to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. 

Sir Keir Starmer has said he believes the UK and US are ‘strategically aligned’ as they began discussions about the conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Asked what he thought about Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s threat of war, US President Joe Biden said: ‘I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.’

The president and prime minister were pictured alongside their teams in the Blue Room of the White House as the walks began. 

Biden and Starmer are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his frustration at the continued restrictions on the use of Western weaponry against Russian targets.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a bilateral meeting hosted by President Joe Biden, not pictured, in the Blue Room of the White House today in Washington

President Joe Biden, center, joined by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, hosts a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, not pictured, in the Blue Room of the White House

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the British ambassador’s residence in Washington DC before their meeting with US President Joe Biden where they’ll hold talks on resolving the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza

This comes after the US president signalled a new openness to allowing Ukraine to send long-range missiles into Russia amid a warning from Vladimir Putin that such a move would lead to ‘war.’

American officials had previously told CNN that they did not expect an immediate sign off from Biden on allowing US-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems — known as ATACMS — to be launched on targets inside Russia. 

But the United Kingdom has sent its own long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Kyiv. Their use, along with use of similar weapons from France, is currently limited to within Ukraine.

A change in that policy will require U.S. sign-off, which is what Biden and Starmer will be discussing in their meeting today.