SIR KEIR Starmer said Donald Trump’s meltdown with Volodymyr Zelensky made him “uncomfortable”.
The Prime Minister said his “driving purpose” over the last few days has been reuniting Ukraine and the US after their presidents clashed in the White House.
PASir Keir Starmer on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg[/caption]
PASir Keir said Trump’s meltdown was ‘uncomfortable’[/caption]
AlamySir Keir welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street on Saturday[/caption]
As Sir Keir gathers European leaders in London to forge a common position on ending the war in Ukraine, the Prime Minister said he is “working hard” to bring about a lasting peace in the war-torn eastern European country.
Zelensky will join Sir Keir at the summit alongside the leaders of other European countries, before he heads off to meet the King.
He travelled to the UK on Saturday after his Oval Office blowout with Donald Trump which created a divide between the US and its European Nato partners.
‘NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THAT’
Sir Keir told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg the encounter made him feel “uncomfortable”, adding: “Nobody wants to see that.”
The Prime Minister said: “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 we all are or not.
“The other is to do what I did, which is roll up my sleeves, pick up the phone, talk to President Trump, talk to President Zelensky, then invite President Zelensky for an extensive meeting yesterday, a warm welcome, and then further pick up the phone to President Macron and President Trump afterwards.
“My driving purpose has been to to bridge this, if you like, and get us back to the central focus.”
Sir Keir insisted he trusts both Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump, who he believes is motivated by a “lasting peace”.
At Lancaster House, a mansion near Buckingham Palace, the Prime Minister is expected to urge the leaders of 18 European countries to follow the UK in answering the US’s calls to boost defence spending.
Sir Keir told the BBC he is “working hard” to bring about three components of a lasting peace in Ukraine.
He said: “For me, the components of a lasting peace are a strong Ukraine to fight on, if necessary, to be in a position of strength; to negotiate a European element to security guarantees, and that’s why I’ve been forward-leaning on this about what we would do; and a US backstop.
“That’s the package, all three parts need to be in place, and that’s what I’m working hard to bring together.”
Sir Keir said he hoped he could build a “coalition of the willing” from the summit.
While Mr Trump’s America is the driving force behind brokering a peace with Russia, Sir Keir wants Europe to be ready to lead peacekeeping efforts should a deal be struck.
A security guarantee from the Americans is the subject of “intense” discussion, Sir Keir said.
The clash between Mr Trump and Mr 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.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, a Cabinet Office minister, told Sky News the UK would “continue to be an honest broker” in face of the threat and “continue to make the case that peace is made from a position of strength, not a position of weakness”.
European leaders soon rallied in a show of solidarity with Ukraine while Sir Keir tried to keep the peace.
The Prime Minister then welcomed Mr Zelensky to Downing Street on Saturday in a meeting described as “meaningful and warm” by the Ukrainian leader.
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.
The Mega AgencyDonald Trump bizarrely laid into Zelensky during a televised meeting at the White House on Friday[/caption]
The Mega AgencyTrump and US Vice President JD Vance continuously interrupted Zelensky and asked him to be thankful to them in the cringey exchange[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
