KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned against repeating Afghanistan’s mistakes in the ongoing efforts to negotiate peace in Ukraine, emphasizing that Ukraine must be involved in any peace talks to ensure a lasting and just resolution.
Reflecting on the U.S.-Taliban negotiations that excluded the Afghan government, Starmer stressed that sidelining key stakeholders leads to disastrous consequences.
“We cannot have another situation like Afghanistan, where the US negotiated directly with the Taliban and cut out the Afghan government,” Starmer wrote in an article for The Telegraph.
His remarks come ahead of crucial peace talks between the U.S. and Russia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, where Ukrainian representatives are notably absent.
This scenario has raised concerns about the possibility of a deal being made without Ukraine’s direct participation, echoing the controversial U.S.-Taliban agreement that led to the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s return to power.
Starmer emphasized that Ukraine’s exclusion from negotiations would effectively validate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance that Ukraine is not a sovereign nation.
“Peace cannot come at any cost. Ukraine must be at the table in these negotiations because anything less would accept Putin’s position that Ukraine is not a real nation,” he wrote.
The UK Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty to prevent “future aggression” from Russia.
He reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, expressing readiness to send British troops as part of security guarantees if necessary.
