British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, and US President Donald Trump, according to a statement from Downing Street cited by international media on 28 February.
A spokesperson for the British Prime Minister said Starmer is looking forward to “welcoming international leaders on 2 March, including President Zelenskyy.”
“He (Starmer) maintains 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,” BBC quoted the statement.
Neither Zelenskyy nor Macron has officially confirmed the conversation yet.
The talks follow a tense meeting between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump at the White House. During this “emotional discussion,” which also included Vice President JD Vance, Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to be more thankful for US aid and accused him of “gambling with World War Three.” Vance stated that the war should be resolved through diplomacy.
Zelenskyy responded that he had previously signed an agreement with Putin in the presence of the French president and German chancellor, but Putin disrupted the deal more than 20 times and launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. The Ukrainian president warned that if a bad agreement were signed between Russia and Ukraine, the United States would “feel it.”
After the meeting, the Ukrainian president left the White House, and a planned press conference, where the minerals agreement could have been signed, was canceled.
Trump later claimed that Zelenskyy “is not ready for peace if the United States is involved.” The US President added that Zelenskyy “showed disrespect to the United States in the Oval Office” and “can return when he is ready for peace.”
The European Union leadership has also expressed support for Ukraine following Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House.
The incident prompted expressions of support for Zelenskyy from key European allies, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Reaction in the UK was divided along party lines. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch stated that “respectable diplomacy is essential for peace,” adding that a “divided West only benefits Russia.” Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey suggested Trump and Vance were “bullying the brave true patriot Zelenskyy into accepting a deal that effectively hands victory to Russia.”
UK Prime Minister Starmer and French President Macron had met with Trump in the Oval Office last week.
Zelenskyy is due in the UK on Sunday as Starmer hosts a summit of European leaders to discuss an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Leaders from Italy, Germany, Poland and potentially Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to attend the Sunday talks. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte may also join.
Starmer emphasized the need for lasting peace rather than a temporary ceasefire and stressed the importance of US involvement in any security arrangement. “
We will play our part and I’ve been clear that we will need a US backstop of some sort,” Starmer said.
Read also:
- Zelenskyy: Ukraine ready for peace but “in a good position”
- Historian Timothy Snyder: Trump and Vance act as if it’s Ukraine’s fault for standing up to Russia
- Trump administration ends USAID program supporting Ukraine’s power grid
- “Ukraine, you’ll never walk alone”: World leaders, officials respond to Trump-Zelenskyy talks collapse over security guarantees
- Macron, Starmer to urge Trump not to hold bilateral talks with Russia on Ukraine – The Times
