Most of the papers focus on the latest in the Ukraine war, as peace talks between the US and Russia – but not Ukraine – begin in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The Guardian focuses on quotes from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who says he would consider deploying UK troops to Ukraine in the event of a lasting peace deal. But he says “there must be a US backstop, because a US guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again”.
The Times also focuses on Sir Keir urging the US to offer security guarantees to Ukraine. It says he will travel to Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump, making him the first European leader to do so. Senior UK government sources tell the paper Sir Keir will have “serious conversations” with Trump about the possibility of the US offering security guarantees. America’s Ukraine envoy has signalled willingness to consider offering such guarantees, the paper adds.
The Mirror calls it a “test of strength” for Sir Keir, as it pictures him and Trump facing each other. It says Sir Keir’s comments mark a “warning” to the US that it must help keep the peace in Ukraine. The Mirror adds that the prime minister also emphasised that Ukraine must be included in peace talks between the US and Russia.
It’s a “Starm offensive”, says the Metro, which says the prime minister has embarked on a mission to stand up for Ukraine as it is “kept on the sidelines” of the peace talks. The PM also says the world is at a “once in a generation moment” to contain the threat of Putin.
The Financial Times focuses on the remarks from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who says his country will not recognise the outcome of these peace talks if Ukraine isn’t involved. Russia is framing Tuesday’s meeting in Riyadh as “the start of its return from the cold” after its invasion of Ukraine, the paper says. The US says the talks are aiming to work out whether “the Russians are serious and if they’re on the same page” about ending the war, the paper adds.
The i newspaper focuses on Sir Keir’s suggestion he would consider sending troops to Ukraine as part of a European peacekeeping force. Former defence chiefs tell the i newspaper that a UK deployment to Ukraine would be “bigger than in Afghanistan”, leading the paper to suggest the UK might need to see more cuts to afford the extra defence spending.
But the Daily Telegraph says the UK is at odds with some European leaders over sending troops to Ukraine – with Germany particularly reluctant. It quotes Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, as saying the idea is “completely premature” and “highly inappropriate”, and that he is “a little irritated”. It says Scholz left the talks in Paris early as splits emerged. Meanwhile the main picture for the paper is of Deputy PM Angela Rayner, who has arrived in Ethiopia to meet business representatives. Under the headline “Rayner on parade”, the paper says she has been accused of “grandstanding and ignoring her brief”.
Instead of Ukraine, the Daily Mail focuses on a speech from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who yesterday warned that Western values were under threat from “poisonous” woke ideology. The paper says she launched a defence of free speech, free markets and the rule of law, in a fiery speech at a right-wing conference. According to the Mail, she made a direct reference to Sir Keir taking the knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, saying people must “get off our knees and start fighting for the West”.
The Daily Star reports that Generation Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – are “ditching vegan diets”. The paper hails it as the “age of the sausage”, and suggests the cost-of-living crisis could be part of the reason.
The cost-of-living crisis also features on the front of the Daily Express, which reports that up to nine million pensioners – or three out of four – lived in uncomfortably cold homes in January. It comes from figures from the charity Age UK, which is today delivering a petition to Downing Street demanding action, after the government cut back on who was eligible for winter fuel payment. Meanwhile the front page’s main picture is of the Princess of Wales, who shared sketches she and her children drew of themselves.
