Starmer: G7 statement focuses on need to de-escalate

ODN

Sir Keir Starmer says that he has been “absolutely clear” that “de-escalation is what is needed” as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies. The Prime Minister also stood by Trump’s early departure, insisting that the arrangement was to discuss the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts during their 2 hour talks on Monday evening. Report by Faragt. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

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00:00We sat here last night for the best part of two hours with the president.

00:06I put out a G7 statement very shortly afterwards, which was clear about the nuclear threat in relation to Iran,

00:14absolutely clear about Israel's right to self-defense, and also the need to de-escalate across the region,

00:20including in Gaza, which obviously is linked to the conflict.

00:24So that statement really, I think, speaks for its own. I've been absolutely clear that de-escalation is what is needed here.

00:32So Israel was wrong to bomb?

00:33No, the risk of escalation is huge here, and that is a risk to the region, it's a risk to Gaza,

00:42and of course it's a risk to our economy, as we've already seen.

00:45So that's why I've been absolutely clear about the need to de-escalate what is a fast-moving situation.

00:50It's a fast-moving situation. I've been absolutely clear about Israel's right to self-defense,

00:56but my focus has been and remains on the need to de-escalate the situation.

01:01And if in doing so we can also bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, that is a good thing,

01:08and that is what I've absolutely focused on.

01:11It's what we discussed for the best part of two hours with the president last night.

01:14The arrangement we had was that we would discuss the conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine

01:21in the two-hour session that we had over dinner last night.

01:24The president took the decision to leave, but then also took the decision to stay for that discussion.

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