Sir Keir Starmer has expressed his ‘unwavering support for Ukraine‘ after speaking with both Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky following their blistering row.
The Prime Minister’s intervention came after a terse exchange in the Oval Office between Zelensky and the US president on Friday afternoon.
The two leaders abandoned plans to sign a minerals deal which would have given further US support in exchange for access to Ukraine’s natural resources.
Following the clash, a No 10 spokeswoman 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 Prime Minister looks forward to hosting international leaders on Sunday including President Zelensky.’
Sir Keir’s comments come after he met with Trump yesterday and lavished praise on the US president’s efforts to bring about a peace deal.
He also handed Trump a letter from the King inviting him for an unprecedented second state visit.
Meanwhile, Labour minister Douglas Alexander warned Friday’s Oval Office spat between Trump and Zelensky puts the world in ‘dangerous and uncharted waters’.
He told the BBC: ‘That exchange was deeply troubling and sobering that we witnessed tonight. The only winner from the division of the West is going to be Putin.
‘And it demonstrated frankly, in the starkest possible terms, the extent to which the world that we have all experienced over the last 80 years has changed beyond recognition.
‘We are in dangerous and uncharted waters this evening.’
The statement from Downing Street followed a show of unity from Europe’s political leaders, supporting Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen were among the leaders to express solidarity with Mr Zelensky.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for ‘respectable diplomacy’ following the meeting, and said a ‘divided West only benefits Russia’, while SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn suggested the offer to Mr Trump of a second state visit should be revoked.
In an unprecedented series of exchanges in the Oval Office, the US president, his vice president JD Vance and Mr Zelensky all spoke over one another in raised voices.
‘You’re gambling with millions of people …You’re gambling with World War Three,’ Mr Trump said.
Mr Zelensky warned the US would ‘feel it in the future’ if it did not continue to support Ukraine.
‘Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem,’ Mr Trump hit back.
Mr Vance questioned why Mr Zelensky had not said thank you for US military aid during the meeting.
The vice president was also heard to say to the Ukrainian leader: ‘Mr President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media.
‘Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for bringing an end to this conflict.’
Mr Zelensky left the White House earlier than planned, putting on hold plans for he and Mr Trump to sign the minerals deal.
A news conference featuring the two leaders was also cancelled.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said his Ukrainian counterpart was ‘not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations’.
But in a sign that Mr Trump is open to further discussions with the Ukrainian leader, he added: ‘He can come back when he is ready for peace.’
Mr Zelensky meanwhile thanked the president on X following the meeting.
‘Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you (Mr Trump), Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,’ he said.
Mr Zelensky issued an apology on X following the spat which saw him being kicked out of the White House.
In a seemingly sarcastic post, he thanked America four times after its Vice President accused him of not being grateful for the support the US provided the country.
He said: ‘Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.’
Trump blasted Zelensky for talking over him, saying: ‘What you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should’.
A source familiar with the meeting at the White House told DailyMail.com that Zelensky’s demeanor was surprising to American officials in the room.
‘No one expected the meeting to play out as it did, because nobody expected to act that way,’ the source said.
Vance noted that Biden stood up for four years and ‘talked tough’ while ‘thumping his chest’ but Putin invaded Ukraine anyway.
‘The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy,’ he said.
Zelensky explained that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been occupying parts of his country since 2014, beginning in Crimea, and that nobody would stop him and broke a negotiated ceasefire.
He went on to say: ‘You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers.
‘Listen, you’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing… Then you tell us, I don’t want a cease fire. I don’t want to cease fire. I want to go and I want this’
He added: ‘You’re either gonna make a deal our we’re out. And if we’re out you’ll fight it out.’
The fiery exchange happened as Trump met with Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Macron in Washington earlier this week.
The US president hailed ‘special’ Sir Keir during an extraordinary meeting to discuss Ukraine’s future and the role the two countries have in the peacemaking process.
