London, UK – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are set to meet at Downing Street this afternoon, just a day after Zelensky’s heated exchange with Donald Trump in the White House.
Starmer will also convene a gathering of European leaders on Sunday to discuss strategies for policing a future Ukraine peace deal.
However, hopes for unity between Europe and the US were severely shaken following Friday’s confrontation in the Oval Office between Trump and Zelensky.
Trump-Zelensky Clash in White House
Plans for US-Ukraine military support through a minerals agreement were put on hold after the tense meeting.
The deal, which would have seen continued US backing in exchange for access to Ukraine’s natural resources, was stalled when Zelensky was asked to leave the meeting.
During the explosive exchange, Trump, US Vice President JD Vance, and Zelensky raised their voices, talking over one another.
“You’re gambling with millions of people … You’re gambling with World War Three,” Trump reportedly said.
Zelensky warned the US would “feel it in the future” if it reduced its military aid. Trump responded sharply:
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem.”
Vance also accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful”, and both US leaders claimed the Ukrainian president had not expressed enough gratitude for past American military support.
Following the confrontation, Trump told reporters the meeting “didn’t work out exactly great”, suggesting Zelensky was more interested in “fight, fight, fight” while the US sought to “end this death”.
Meanwhile, Zelensky defended his position in an interview with Fox News, stating he was “always very thankful” to the US and saw no reason to apologise
He told reporters he believed the relationship between the countries could still be salvaged, emphasising “historical relations” between the two nations.
Starmer’s Diplomatic Role
The fallout from the Trump-Zelensky dispute comes just after Starmer’s successful visits to the US. The UK Prime Minister secured Trump’s backing for the Chagos Islands deal and saw indications that US tariffs on British goods might be avoided.
Downing Street has signaled that Starmer is working to smooth over tensions between Ukraine and the US. A No. 10 spokeswoman reaffirmed the UK’s “unwavering support for Ukraine”, adding that Starmer is focused on securing “a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also weighed in on the White House confrontation, calling it a “fiasco” in an interview with CNN.
“There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic… When you start talking aggressively, and the president is a deal maker, you won’t get people to the table. So you start to perceive that maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t,” Rubio said.
With tensions escalating between Washington and Kyiv, Starmer’s meeting with Zelensky and his efforts to act as a bridge between Europe and the US could prove crucial in shaping the future of Western support for Ukraine.
