UK PM Starmer: Middle East war must not become windfall for Putin

He said this at a press conference, Ukrinform reports, citing The Telegraph.

His remarks came after the United States issued temporary exemptions for Russian oil already at sea last week as crude prices rose sharply after Iran all but closed the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a conduit for about a fifth of the world's oil. There are fears that U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to lift restrictions until April 11 will help to salvage the Russian war economy.

Starmer said that earlier in the morning he had met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and would soon meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"I met Prime Minister Carney earlier this morning and I'll be meeting President Zelensky soon because it's vital that we continue to focus on supporting Ukraine. We cannot allow the war in the Gulf to turn into a windfall for Putin," he said.

Commenting on the war in the Middle East, Starmer said that Britain was working with European allies on a "viable collective plan" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

He also stated that the U.S. war effort had "massively weakened the military capability of the abhorrent regime in Iran."

However, he added: "The question is: what comes next? When the fighting stops, we are going to need some sort of negotiated agreement to constrain the threat posed by Iran, to limit their ability to rebuild their nuclear program to pose a ballistic missile threat and arm their proxy militias, and limit the threat they can pose to global shipping."

Starmer also vowed to "stand firm" in the face of pressure from Trump and opposition politicians to join military action in Iran.

He claimed time would vindicate him as taking the "right approach" to the conflict in the Middle East, in which the UK has only allowed for the use of British military bases for defensive purposes.

Earlier, Starmer rejected a request from Trump to send British naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz to help unblock it.