British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he faced pressure from Washington to criticize President Volodymyr Zelensky after a showdown in the Oval Office last month led to the Ukrainian president walking out of the White House early.
In an interview with the New York Times (NYT) published March 23, Starmer said the U.K. is acting as a bridge between Ukraine and the U.S. and that President Donald Trump’s actions, such as reproaching Zelensky, have caused "a degree of disorientation." He added that the best response is not to get provoked.
"On the day in which the Oval Office meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky didn’t go particularly well, we were under pressure to come out very critically with, you know, flowery adjectives to describe how others felt," Starmer told the New York Times.
Starmer instead called both sides to "try and get them back on the same page." He added that he has a good relationship with Trump and understands "what he’s trying to achieve."
Following the heated Oval Office clash on Feb. 28, Starmer sent his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, to Kyiv to advise Zelensky on how to repair relations with Trump. The British leader later updated Trump on Kyiv’s progress, helping set up a call between the two presidents that saw Zelensky openly back Trump’s peace efforts.
Nonetheless, Ukrainian officials still remain skeptical of Washington’s attempts to cultivate a ceasefire. A U.S.-orchestrated 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure was agreed by Moscow and Kyiv on March 18, but Russia has continued to launch hundreds of drones at Ukraine, killing dozens of civilians.
The spat between Zelensky and Trump on Feb. 28, caused outrage in Ukraine that only escalated when Washington temporarily cut off military intelligence aid on March 5. At the same time, Trump has done little to pressure Russia, apart from threats of sanctions.
U.S. negotiators are set to separately meet Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Riyadh on March 24 to discuss the partial ceasefire proposal. Until now, the Trump team has only held bilateral talks with each side separately, including meetings with Russia in Riyadh on Feb. 18 and Istanbul on Feb. 27, and with Ukraine in Jeddah on March 11.
Starmer, an ardent supporter of Ukraine, has called for countries to join a “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine with a peacekeeping force. He warned that Putin will breach any peace deal unless security guarantees are in place.
"It needs to be clear to Putin that there will be severe consequences if he breaches the lines," he said on March 20.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
