Don't abandon Ukraine, Wes Streeting tells Hegseth on his first trip to the US

Wes Streeting has told the US to stand by Ukraine amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

On his first visit to Washington DC, the Defence Secretary told officials Ukraine is a vital partner that will make America a more secure country in the years ahead.

Mr Streeting also met his US counterpart Pete Hegseth for talks.

The UK is trying to repair the US-Ukraine relationship which is at a low ebb following criticism of President Volodymyr Zelensky by Donald Trump and the US President's decision to buy diesel from Russia.

Kyiv has also been hit by curbs on its access to Elon Musk's Starshield satellite defence system. Before his meeting with Mr Hegseth, Mr Streeting spoke at a military think-tank in the US capital, talking up Ukraine's importance to the US.

He said: 'Standing with Ukraine is not a choice between values and self-interest; ultimately they are inseparable. This has been a strong year for Ukraine, the frontline has barely moved. The price Vladimir Putin is paying puts Ukraine in a stronger position.

'The US will find in the years and decades to come that Ukraine will contribute a hell of a lot towards American strength, both in terms of its military strength and its defence industrial base, too.' After that engagement at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Mr Streeting met Mr Hegseth, but there was no joint press conference.

UK defence sources insisted on Thursday night no such event had been planned.

The pair were expected to discuss Ukraine as part of what Prime Minister Andy Burnham described as Britain's attempt to 'build a bridge'.

Earlier this week, Mr Zelensky said he felt 'betrayed' by the US decision to buy Russian diesel, giving the Kremlin a desperately needed financial lifeline. While Kyiv has been able to stem Russia's advance across eastern Ukraine, its major cities are suffering an unprecedented aerial bombardment.

The country is understood to have run out of US-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles, leaving Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa vulnerable to jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles.

Restrictions on access to the Starshield satellite system will be a further blow to Ukraine's efforts to protect its civilians. However, Britain is expected to supply additional Storm Shadow missiles in the coming months.