1 of 3 | British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) is meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in London Saturday afternoon, 10 Downing Street confirmed.
File Photo by Andy Rain/EPA-EFE
March 1 (UPI) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Saturday afternoon one day after his heated session with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, 10 Downing Street confirmed.
Zelensky touched down in London Saturday morning from Washington, D.C.
Starmer has previously expressed “unwavering support” for Zelensky and Ukraine. The two men previously met last October in London.
The British prime minister met with Trump in the White House on Thursday.
One day larter, Zelenksy’s public meeting with Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office got heated with both leaders shouting at times
Vance later accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful” during the 45-minute meeting and the Ukrainian delegation was ultimately asked to leave the White House rather than continue talks.
The later talks were supposed to focus on reaching a deal between the two countries around Ukraine’s natural resources, specifically valuable minerals. Trump is pushing for the deal to recoup some of the more than $180 billion in U.S. aid sent to Ukraine to help defend itself from the ongoing war with Russia.
“When we will be ready with this [deal], we will come to diplomacy,” Zelensky later said during an interview on Fox News.
A joint news conference scheduled to take place following the talks and expected signing of the economic agreement was ultimately canceled.
“If he [Zelensky] fights it out, it’s not going to be pretty. Because without us, he doesn’t win, let me tell you,” Trump told reporters while leaving the White House for Florida Friday.
The Ukrainian president later attempted to strike a more conciliatory tone.
“We are very grateful to the United States for all the support. I’m thankful to President Trump, Congress for their bipartisan support, and American people. Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during these three years of full-scale invasion,” Zelensky said on X Saturday, prior to his meeting with Starmer.
“Our relationship with the American President is more than just two leaders; it’s a historic and solid bond between our peoples. That’s why I always begin with words of gratitude from our nation to the American nation.”
Following the meeting Friday, Zelensky admitted to reporters the terse back-and-forth was “not good for both sides.”
But he also pushed back on Trump’s narrative that Ukraine does not want peace with Russia as long as it has American support.
“No one wants peace more than we do,” Zelensky told reporters.
Several European leaders came to the defense of Zelensky, including French President Emmanuel Macron who distinguished between what he called the “aggressor” – Russia – and the “victim” – Ukraine.
Macron met with Trump in the White House on Monday.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was lit up Friday night in the Ukrainian flag colors of blue and yellow.
Britain and France are considering a plan for 30,000 peacekeepers in Ukraine.
On Saturday, NATO chief Mark Rutte called the heated meeting “very unfortunate.”
In an interview with BBC News, Rutte said he has spoken with Zelensky twice since the meeting, and he told him the U.S., Europe and Ukraine need to “stick together” to bring “durable peace” to the country.
Rutte, who is friends with Trump, told the Ukrainian leader that “we really have to respect what President Trump has done so far for Ukraine.”
“I’m absolutely convinced that the U.S. wants to bring Ukraine to this durable peace,” Rutte said. “It is important that President Zelensky finds a way to restore his relationship with the American president and with the senior American leadership team.”
Trump has rejected Ukraine’s hopes to join NATO.