Wes Streeting's Ukraine appeal for US support came during a Washington visit designed to calm tensions after the American restriction of Starlink use by Ukraine's military. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US thinktank, the UK defence secretary argued that backing Kyiv lies in Washington's long-term interests and offers an opening for American industry. The speech came ahead of a meeting with Pete Hegseth, his US counterpart.

A Speech Aimed at Cooling Tensions

Streeting used the address to acknowledge friction between the allies, alluding to the US government's decision on Monday to limit the use of Starlink by Ukraine's armed forces. He referred only to 'the challenges of recent days' rather than naming the dispute directly.

The visit was timed to steady the relationship before the talks with Hegseth, with tensions running over Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East.

Ukraine as US Interest and Opportunity

Streeting told the American audience that US backing has made a real difference to Ukraine's war effort, and that its absence would be felt. He went further, framing continued support as a commercial opening: an enormous opportunity for the US in terms of the support for Ukraine, pointing to a future defence-industrial relationship.

He reminded listeners what Ukrainians are fighting for - the principle that a free people have a right to determine their own destiny - and issued a warning about the consequences of abandonment.

If aggression is rewarded, he cautioned, and borders can be redrawn by force, the fallout will not stay confined to Ukraine or to Europe.

The Starlink Dispute Behind the Visit

The backdrop to the speech was a sudden US move against the satellite network Ukrainian forces rely on. A day before Streeting spoke, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt personally betrayed by Donald Trump after the US appeared to have throttled the Starlink version used by Ukraine's military.

• •Ukrainian soldiers reported that without warning, at about 1am, drone terminals stopped working at speeds above 100mph, leaving communications inoperable.
• •The change brought a dramatic halt to mid-strike drone attacks on targets in Russian-occupied territories.
• •It also raised concerns about Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian jet-powered attack craft bombing Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian officials said the US had also threatened to cut the sharing of intelligence used by Ukraine to detect incoming missiles unless it stopped attacking refineries aimed at hurting the Russian economy. Trump has pressured Ukraine to halt those strikes to bring down world oil prices before the US midterm elections, and agreed earlier this month to buy diesel from Russia.

What the Hegseth Meeting Will Cover

• •US military bases in the UK: an Iranian threat led the US to withdraw B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
• •Whether the two countries would help Saudi Arabia, which has come under attack from Yemen's Houthis.
• •Ukraine, Iran and the wider Middle East.

Separately, the British prime minister, Andy Burnham, meeting Zelenskyy in London on Wednesday, said the UK would stand by Ukraine. Streeting's meeting with Hegseth was set to go ahead with the bases question and support for Saudi Arabia on the agenda.