Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has talked with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after their meeting in Washington devolved into a disagreement about US backing for Ukraine.
Trump welcomed Zelensky to the White House, but their friendly conversation culminated in a shouting match in front of the media in the Oval Office.
Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart to be more grateful for US assistance and accused him of “gambling with World War III.”
On Friday night, No. 10 issued a statement confirming that the prime minister had spoken with the presidents of the United States and Ukraine, and that he maintained “unwavering support for Ukraine”.
Zelensky is scheduled to visit the United Kingdom on Sunday, where Sir Keir will convene a gathering of European leaders to put an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister has tonight spoken to both President Trump and President Zelensky.“ He retains unwavering support for Ukraine, and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine.”
The Oval Office spat spurred words of support for Zelensky from major European allies such as French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Friedrich Merz, who is anticipated to become Germany’s next chancellor, stated that he supported Ukraine “in good and testing times”.
“We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war,” he added.
Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the BBC that there is still a “sliver of hope”.
“Trump wants a sustainable peace in Ukraine because he sees this as a very big part in his legacy and he wants that to last for many years,” Hunt told the Today programme.
“He doesn’t want to withdraw from Ukraine and abandon it to the Russians in the way that the United States abandoned Afghanistan to the Taliban, he knows that would be very bad for his reputation, for America’s reputation, so in the end he needs a ceasefire that both Zelensky and Putin are part of.” Mr. Hunt stated that what was required for negotiations to resume was “a little bit of time” for “tempers to cool down”.
During the heated exchange at the White House, Trump and Zelensky repeatedly interrupted one other during what was intended to be a preamble to the two presidents signing a minerals agreement.
JD Vance, the US Vice President, was also in attendance. A news conference intended for later in the day was canceled, and Zelensky was asked to leave the White House before the minerals agreement was signed.
In a subsequent interview with Fox News, Zelensky stated that the public spat “was not good” but that his relationship with Trump could be repaired.
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