“Nobody wants to see that.”
Keir Starmer has said that watching Donald Trump’s clash with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House made him feel ‘uncomfortable’.
The US President had a furious exchange with Zelenskyy earlier this week, in which him and Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian of ‘not saying thank you.’
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC this morning, Starmer said watching the moment made him feel ‘uncomfortable’, and said it marked a moment of ‘fragility’ for Europe.
“Nobody wants to see that,” he said of the exchange.
The British Prime Minister added that he has since spoken to both Zelenskyy and Trump over the phone after the exchange.
Although he refused to give specifics, Starmer said he hopes to act like a ‘bridge’ between the pair and return to the ‘central focus’ of supporting Ukraine to ‘stop the fighting’.
He added that he did not believe Zelenskyy had done anything wrong during the exchange.
“I think this is a man whose country has been at war for three years,” Starmer said.
The PM also said that in order to guarantee lasting peace in Ukraine, there needs to be security guarantees to deter Putin.
“I wouldn’t trust him not to come again, because he’s proven that he will come again. He’s already done it, and we know what his ambitions are,” he said.
Starmer also said that he trusts that Trump wants lasting peace.
“Do I trust Donald Trump when he says he wants lasting peace? The answer to that question is yes,” he said.
“I’m clear in my view that President Trump wants a lasting peace and I agree with him on that,” Starmer said, but refused to answer whether the US would provide security guarantees.
