‘The Prime Minister has tonight spoken to both President Trump and President Zelensky’

Sir Keir Starmer has expressed his ‘unwavering support for Ukraine’ after speaking with both Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky following their heated exchange in the White House, Downing Street said tonight.

The Prime Minister’s intervention came after a stormy exchange in the Oval Office between Ukrainian President Mr Zelensky and the US president. The two leaders abandoned plans to sign a minerals deal which would have given further US support in exchange for access to Ukraine’s natural resources.

Following the fiery clash, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister has tonight spoken to both President Trump and President Zelensky.

“He retains 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. The Prime Minister looks forward to hosting international leaders on Sunday including President Zelensky.”

As reported, Mr Trump warned Mr Zelensky he is “gambling with World War Three” in a heated exchange in the Oval Office, amid UK efforts to broker an American security guarantee for Ukraine.

The US president met his Ukrainian counterpart as the two nations were set to sign a deal granting the US access to rare minerals in exchange for further military aid. But the agreement was not signed after a series of testy remarks between the two presidents.

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to discuss how to guarantee that a peace deal in Ukraine will last when he meets Mr Zelensky and other European leaders in Downing Street this weekend.

The relationship between the Ukrainian leader and Mr Trump remains tense, after the US president last week accused Mr Zelensky of being a dictator.

As the US president met his counterpart in the Oval Office, their discussions became heated.

“You’re gambling with millions of people … You’re gambling with World War Three,” Mr Trump said. Mr Zelensky warned the US would “feel it in the future” if it did not continue to support Ukraine.

“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem,” Mr Trump hit back. US vice president JD Vance questioned why Mr Zelensky had not said thank you for US military aid during the meeting.

Mr Vance was also heard to say to the Ukrainian leader: “Mr President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for bringing an end to this conflict.”

Mr Zelensky left the White House early, putting on hold plans for he and Mr Trump to sign the minerals deal.

A news conference featuring the two leaders was also called off.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said his Ukrainian counterpart was “not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations”.

In a sign that the relationship between the two leaders could be salvaged, Mr Trump added: “I don’t want advantage, I want peace. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace.”

Mr Zelensky meanwhile thanked the president on X following the meeting.

“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you (Mr Trump), Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he said.

The fractious meeting comes after Sir Keir and France’s president Emmanuel Macron travelled to Washington DC for talks with Mr Trump. The British and French leaders sought to charm the US president and were met with a warm welcome.

Ahead of Sunday’s summit in London focused on security, the Prime Minister will meet with Mr Zelensky separately. A Downing Street spokesman said on Friday that “the UK has made it clear that we’ll play our full part in ensuring a just and lasting peace deal on Ukraine’s terms, backed up by strong security guarantees”.