Zelensky welcomed by Starmer for crisis talks after tense White House bust up
Volodymyr Zelensky was given a hero’s welcome to the UK by Sir Keir Starmer just a day after the explosive White House meeting with Donald Trump.
The Ukrainian president was greeted outside of Downing Street after the bust-up between Trump and Zelensky sent diplomatic ripples across the world and plunged the future of the Nato military alliance into doubt.
But upon Zelensky’s arrival to the UK, Starmer wrapped him in a bear hug before telling him: ‘You have the full backing of the United Kingdom.
‘I hope you heard the cheering outside – the people of the UK coming out to demonstrate how much they support you and Ukraine.’
Mr Zelensky said: ‘Thank you very much Keir, Prime Minister, for having me here.
‘I saw a lot of people and I want to thank you and the people of the United kingdom for such big support from the very beginning of this war.’
https://metro.co.uk/video/zelensky-starmer-reeves-sign-new-loan-agreement-support-ukraines-defence-capabilities-3384199/?ito=vjs-link
Zelensky will also head north to Sandringham to meet with King Charles tomorrow, sources have said.
Hoping to act as a bridge between Zelensky and Trump, Starmer will convene a gathering of European leaders at Downing Street on Sunday to plan how to police a future Ukraine peace deal.
Hopes for unity between European nations and America on Ukraine’s future have been shattered by the Friday blowout between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Plans for the two countries to sign a minerals agreement, which would see continued US military support in exchange for developing Ukraine’s natural resources, were also put on hold when Mr Zelensky was told to leave.
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 meanwhile accused the Ukrainian leader of being ‘disrespectful’ and both he and the US president claimed Mr Zelensky had not been thankful enough for US military aid.
The clash came just a day after Sir Keir’s visit to the US, regarded as successful because the Prime Minister’s charm offensive with Mr Trump secured support for the Chagos Islands deal, and signs that he may be able to hold off US tariffs on British goods.
Mr Trump claimed his Ukrainian counterpart was ‘not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations’ following their meeting.
Mr Trump later told reporters the meeting ‘didn’t work out exactly great’, adding the Ukrainian leader wanted to ‘fight, fight, fight’ while the US was ‘looking to end this death.’
Mr Zelensky meanwhile told Fox News that he was ‘always very thankful’ to the US, and suggested there was no need for him to apologise to President Trump as he had not done anything in their exchanges.
Ukraine’s president said he believed the relationship with Mr Trump could be salvaged, adding: ‘It is relations more than two presidents. The historical relations, strong relations between our people.’
In an interview with CNN, US secretary of state Marco Rubio described the meeting as a ‘fiasco’.
‘There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic. When you start talking about that aggressively, and the president is a deal maker, he made deals his entire life, you’re not going to get people to the table. And so you start to perceive that maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t,’ he said.
https://metro.co.uk/video/zelensky-starmer-reeves-sign-new-loan-agreement-support-ukraines-defence-capabilities-3384199/?ito=vjs-link
Downing Street signalled that Sir Keir – who has tried to position the UK as a bridge between Europe and America – had sought to smooth over relations between Ukraine and the US following the White House blowout.
A No 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister ‘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’.
NATO chief says argument at White House was ‘unfortunate’
Mark Rutte, Nato secretary general, told the BBC the clash between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump was ‘unfortunate’.
The head of the military alliance said he was sure Mr Trump was “committed to bring Ukraine to a durable peace” and committed to Nato.
Mr Rutte also urged Mr Zelensky to restore his relationship with the US president.
Speaking of a phone call he had with the Ukrainian leader on Friday, Mr Rutte said: “What I told to President Zelensky is that I said, I think you have to find a way, dear Volodymyr, to restore your relationship with Donald Trump and the American administration.
“That is important going forward.”