Keir Starmer has voiced his shock at the Oval Office spat involving Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.
The PM said he felt "uncomfortable" watching the scene on Friday - but said his focus was on "rolling up his sleeves" and speaking to all sides rather than voicing his outrage. He told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg he is confident that Trump "wants lasting peace".
Asked about his reaction to the vicious agreement, he said: "Yes, I felt uncomfortable. Nobody wants to see that.
"But the important thing is how to react to that. There are a number of different routes people could go down. One is to ramp up the rhetoric as to how outraged they are... The other is to do what I did, which is roll up our sleeves, pick up the phone."
He told the BBC host: "I was in my office, nobody wants to see that. And later that day I picked up the phone to President Trump, and I picked up the phone to President Zelensky because to my mind the focus has to be a lasting peace in Ukraine, which is, really important for the security defense of Europe and of the United Kingdom.
"And therefore, I took to the phone and that was my response."
Asked whether he trusts Trump, Mr Starmer said: "Yes, I do." Asked why this the case, he said: " I have had extensive discussions with him and I believe his motivation is lasting peace."
But he doubled down on his demand for a US security guarantee if a peace deal is secured to end the war in Ukraine. Responding to a question about Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin he said: ""Well, no, I wouldn't trust Putin, which is why I want a security guarantee.
"I wouldn't trust him not to come again, because he's proven that he will come again. He's already done it and we know what his ambitions are."
Mr Starmer will host European leaders in London today amid growing alarm about US commitment to peace on the continent. The PM will tell them they need to play their part on defence and “step up for the good of collective security”, Downing Street said. “Three years on from Russia ’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we are at a turning point,” Mr Starmer said ahead of the conference.
“Today I will reaffirm my unwavering support for Ukraine and double down on my commitment to provide capacity, training and aid to Ukraine, putting it in the strongest possible position. In partnership with our allies, we must intensify our preparations for the European element of security guarantees alongside continued discussions with the United States.
“We have an opportunity to come together to ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine that secures their sovereignty and security. Now is the time for us to unite in order to guarantee the best outcome for Ukraine, protect European security, and secure our collective future.”
He added: “We're really, really happy that we have such partners and such friends." Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves pledged to unlock £2.26 billion worth of frozen Russian assets to be sent in loans to support the defence of Ukraine. And she’ll change the remit of the £27.8 billion National Wealth Fund (NWF) so it can be spent on supporting the defence sector. The fund was previously only used for infrastructure projects such as green energy schemes.
In astonishing scenes on Friday evening, the US President - and Vice President JD Vance - berated his Ukrainian counterpart in front of the world ’s media, telling him he "didn't have the cards" to win the war without the United States. And he issued Ukraine's President with an ultimatum: "You either make a deal, or we're out."
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