Sir Keir Starmer was handed a personalised revolver with live ammunition by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Nato summit in Ankara — the same summit where Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed China had issued an ultimatum to Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
The outgoing prime minister, who announced his resignation as Labour leader last month, said Donald Trump had wished him well and that the pair would stay in touch. “Yes he did, and we’re going to stay in touch,” Starmer told reporters when asked whether Trump had offered good wishes.
“Starmer says he will stay in touch with Trump after leaving No 10, as Zelenskyy reveals China warned Russia against nukes.”
The relationship between the two leaders has had its strains. Trump earlier mocked Starmer as “no Winston Churchill” in a row over the refusal to permit the use of UK bases for the initial US-Israel strikes on Iran, and on Wednesday repeated his criticism of the UK’s response to the conflict. But at the summit, Starmer said: “We’ve always got on as two individuals. That is important because it really matters in politics to have a relationship that is a working relationship.”
The gun gifted by Erdogan bore Starmer’s name and was left with British officials in Turkey, who are expected to decommission it so it can no longer fire live rounds. A similar gift was given to the leader of each Nato country in attendance.
Meanwhile, speaking at the same summit, Zelenskyy told reporters that China had directly warned Russia in “an ultimatum-like form” not to use nuclear weapons. “I think you heard such voices in Russian media: ‘What if we respond to Ukrainian strikes with nuclear weapons?’ And it seems to me that this was the first time China … directly responded in an ultimatum-like form — that there can be no thought whatsoever of using nuclear weapons,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president said he learned of Beijing’s intervention from European leaders at the summit, where they discussed “China’s role in ending the war.” He also discussed the topic with Trump but declined to reveal the contents of that conversation. Russia conducted nuclear military training in Belarus in May, though President Vladimir Putin has so far refrained from issuing direct nuclear threats. Last month, Saint Petersburg MP Viktor Perov urged colleagues to ask Putin to strike Ukraine with nuclear weapons, arguing it would force Kyiv to sign a peace agreement.
Starmer, who steps down as prime minister later this month, said the strategic alliance between the UK and US is “hugely important” in defence and security, with the two countries working “together 24/7”. Andy Burnham is currently the only candidate to replace Starmer and could become prime minister on 20 July. Nato allies also announced a £37bn project for new missiles during the summit.
