Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he felt uncomfortable watching President Donald Trump and US Vice President JD Vance bully Ukrainian President Zelensky in an unprecedented White House bust-up. He said: "Nobody wants to see that."
The Prime Minister insisted as he spoke to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC One that he still believed Donald Trump wants "lasting peace" in Ukraine and the relationship between the UK and US is essential to our security. But asked whether he believed Mr Zelensky had "done anything wrong" in the White House meeting, Sir Keir said: "No".
The Prime Minister also said: "I wouldn't trust Putin which is why I want a security guarantee." This is the same point made by Mr Zelensky that caused the US leaders to launch into a furious tirade against the wartime leader.
Sir Keir also pointed out that the UK suspended elections during the Second World War, despite Mr Trump's claim that Ukraine doing the same thing now makes Mr Zelensky a "dictator".
Quizzed by Ms Kuenssberg about whether he trusts Donald Trump, Sir Keir said: "Yes I do."
He stressed that he had spoken with Mr Trump many times, and still believed the US President wants lasting peace. And Sir Keir dismissed any suggestion that Donald Trump's planned state visit to the UK could be cancelled, saying: "The King has extended the invitation."
Sir Keir said he would do whatever it takes to bring about "lasting peace" and said he was "not interested" in making comments on Twitter.
European leaders gather in London today to forge a common position on ending the war in Ukraine, before the country’s premier heads off to meet the King. At Lancaster House, a mansion near Buckingham Palace, the Prime Minister is expected to urge the 18 countries in attendance to follow the UK in answering the US’s calls to boost defence spending.
Sir Keir pledged this week to raise the UK’s defence spending to 2.5% of its economic output by 2027. The summit comes after several days in which the foundations of the transatlantic Nato alliance have been shaken.
A clash between Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was broadcast around the world on Friday, in which the US President claimed his counterpart was “gambling with World War Three”. It resulted in Ukraine’s president being kicked out of the White House, and a deal to exchange mineral rights for further US military support was placed on ice.
Reports in the US media suggested Mr Trump was even considering halting all aid to Kyiv after the meeting, in which he and his vice president, JD Vance, engaged in heated exchanges with Mr Zelensky. European leaders soon rallied in a show of solidarity with Ukraine, while Sir Keir tried to keep the peace and spoke to both presidents over the phone.
The Prime Minister then welcomed Mr Zelensky to Downing Street on Saturday, in a meeting described as “meaningful and warm” by the Ukrainian leader. The two men embraced as they met, and again later as they parted, and Sir Keir took the unusual step of walking Mr Zelensky to his car, instead of waving him goodbye from the front step of No 10.
Ahead of Sunday’s gathering, Chancellor Rachel Reeves meanwhile signed a loan agreement worth £2.26 billion with her Ukrainian counterpart, to pay for further military support and the rebuilding of Ukraine in future. The UK hopes to recoup the costs from frozen Russian assets locked in bank accounts across Europe.
Mr Zelensky is expected to meet the King at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Sunday, after attending the summit.
The embattled Ukrainian leader meets Charles days after Mr Trump was offered an unprecedented second state visit to the UK as part of a charm offensive aimed at winning the US president’s support.
Sir Keir spoke to Mr Trump on Saturday, for the second evening in a row, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron, as he seeks to be a bridge across the Atlantic and smooth out the ongoing division between Western allies.
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