Sir Keir will seek to position the UK as a bridge between the US and Europe on his visit next week as tensions simmer after Mr Trump launched an extraordinary verbal attack on Mr Zelensky.
Mr Trump called him a “dictator” on Wednesday and later said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, who will also visit the White House next week, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.
Talks about ending the war in Ukraine must not take place without Kyiv at the table, Sir Keir Starmer has said, after the US and Russia kickstarted negotiations without inviting Volodymyr Zelensky.
The UK Prime Minister, who will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week, said first-hand experience of visiting the war-torn country had made him “more determined to stand up for Ukraine”.
Speaking to reporters after his speech, Sir Keir said of the US visit: “At the centre of our discussions this week will obviously be the importance of the special relationship between us, and obviously the situation in Ukraine and other issues of common concern.”.
