Sir Keir Starmer has said the next weeks and months will be ‘crucial’ in Ukraine as he held White House talks with Joe Biden – declaring that the UK and the US were ‘strategically aligned’ as they faced warnings of ‘war’ from Vladimir Putin.

The Prime Minister said it was ‘important’ the two countries continued to support the eastern European nation in its fight against Russia. 

The pair sat in the Blue Room at the White House on Friday as the Prime Minister spoke of how the UK and US are ‘strategically aligned’ in their attempts to resolve the war.

Sir Keir said the next weeks and months will be ‘crucial’ in Ukraine and said it was ‘important’ the two countries continued to support the eastern European nation in its fight against Russia.

Meanwhile, when asked what he thought about Russian President Putin’s threat of war, his US counterpart Mr Biden said: ‘I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.’

Mr Biden and Sir Keir were pictured alongside their teams in the Blue Room of the White House as the talks began. 

The Prime Minister emerged after their meeting to tell reporters it had been ‘very productive’ – though he gave no details about any new policy agreements including on whether to let Ukraine use US-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems for attacks on Russia.