Sir Keir has assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the UK’s commitment to Ukraine in its war against Russia is “ironclad”.
The two men met in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, at a summit for the European Political Community.
The US is the largest single donor to Ukraine of military aid.
There have been fears that Donald Trump’s return to the White House, in January, could slow, if it doesn’t stop, the flow of American aid to Kyiv.
The Prime Minister said that the summit was not just about Ukraine’s sovereignty, but also “our freedom and democracy and our values”.
After his meeting with the Ukrainian leader Sir Keir avoided a question on whether Trump’s victory in the presidential election was good for Europe or Ukraine.
He said that he had met with President Zelensky six times since becoming Prime Minister, and that it was a chance to affirm the UK’s “ironclad support for Ukraine”.
Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister who hosted the summit, said earlier that Europe’s leaders agreed to take responsibility for security and not rely solely on US defence.
Orban said: “We cannot wait for Americans to protect us.”
The Hungarian leader has strong ties with Moscow and is a Trump supporter. He has been reluctant in imposing sanctions on Russia or supplying Ukraine with weapons.
Trump has said that he wants the Ukraine war to be over “within one day”, but he has refused to explain how this will be achieved.
Some commentators suggested that it could be the new US administration pressuring Zelensky into giving up some territory in exchange for a peace agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian leader claimed he has not yet discussed the conflict with the US President-elect.
Sir Keir told Zelensky that his support for Ukraine was unwavering.
It’s important that we follow through. It’s important that we stand by you.
The Ukrainian president thanked him for “sticking with us through this difficult period”.
Both the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have repeatedly pledged their support for Ukraine.
Mark Rutte, Nato Secretary-General, said that Trump’s first year in office had prompted Europe to spend more money on defence but “we still need to do more”.
He said that the threat posed by Russia and its alliance with North Korea and China, as well as Iran, was a problem for both the US and Europe.
“If Russia were to succeed in Ukraine, we would have a Russia emboldened at our border,” said he in Budapest.
Rutte was Dutch Prime Minister during Trump’s first presidency from 2017-2021. He added: “I worked very well with him for four years.”
“He is very clear about what he desires. He knows that you need to work together to reach a common position. “I think we can achieve that.”
Sir Keir dodged the question about a report that Trump had described him privately as “very left-wing”.
The Prime Minister said that their meeting in New York, in September, and their telephone call on Wednesday following the US election results had been “very constructive” and “very positive”.
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