Keir Starmer to meet Joe Biden and 'quad' leaders for Ukraine and Gaza talks

Keir Starmer will meet with the leaders of the US, Germany, and France in Berlin on Friday.

The crisis in the Middle East and the war in are expected to be top of the agenda at the meeting of the "Quad" group of nations.

US President was forced to postpone the meeting with the Prime Minister, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, last week as the White House monitored the impact of Hurricane Milton on Florida.

Mr Starmer will press for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, as well as urgent action to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, No10 said. The PM will call on all sides to step back from the brink and come to the table to find a diplomatic solution to the devastating conflict.

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The UK continues to support Israel's right to self defence but it must comply with international humanitarian law, including allowing the flow of aid into Gaza, Downing Street said.

The leaders will also hold talks on the war in Ukraine, including President Volodymyr Zelensky's victory plan which includes calls for Kyiv to be permitted to fire long-range missiles into .

The UK has so far refused to agree to allowing Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles and other Western-supplied weapons into Russian territory.

It comes as the UK announced a fresh round of sanctions against Russian oil tankers and liquified gas tankers. The Foreign Office said on Thursday morning that it had sanctioned 18 oil tankers, four liquified gas tankers, and the Russian gas company Rusgazdobycha JSC. It brings the total number of oil tankers sanctioned to 43.

Foreign Secretary will also make his first official visit to today where he will push Beijing to stop supporting Vladimir Putin's war. The two-day trip marks a resumption of high-level engagement with Xi Jinping's government amid concern over human rights violations against Uighur Muslims and tensions over Taiwan.

Mr Lammy, who previously described its treatment of Uighurs as a "genocide", is under pressure to take a tough stance on the issue. Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Lammy said: "As permanent members of the UN Security Council with major global economies, the UK and China are global players. Our relationship matters.

“Engagement with China is pragmatic and necessary to support UK and global interests. From stopping Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, to supporting a global green transition, we must speak often and candidly across both areas of contention as well as areas for cooperation in the UK’s national interest.”

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