After the heated exchange between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on February 28, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attempted to persuade the presidents of the United States and Ukraine to return to the negotiating table. However, Britain was unsuccessful in its efforts to salvage the economic agreement between the US and Ukraine.
This was reported by Bloomberg citing sources. It was noted that Trump's team rejected the request to return to negotiations. The White House stated that time was needed to cool off.
The Trump administration privately indicated that it wanted public apologies from Zelensky to mend relations, an unnamed European official told reporters.
Insiders at Downing Street emphasize the differing approaches to the events in Washington. Other senior European officials quickly rushed to defend Zelensky on social media and condemned the actions of Trump and his Vice President JD Vance. In particular, EU's chief diplomat, Kaia Kallas, stated that "the free world needs a new leader."
At the same time, Starmer picked up the phone. British officials believe that they can leverage Trump's tendency to favor Britain over the European Union, as well as the working relationships between the leaders of the UK and the US.
On Sunday, March 2, a summit of leaders will take place in London, where they will attempt to strengthen the defense of Ukraine and Europe as a whole, especially if Trump makes a deal with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and halts support for Kyiv.
Starmer, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted a similar summit in Paris last month, hopes to stimulate greater security commitment from European countries to secure a place at the negotiating table regarding Ukraine. They now must overcome concerns that Trump has already abandoned the Ukrainian cause along with Europe.
The Dispute in the White House and Britain
On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington – where a mineral agreement was supposed to be signed. However, during the meeting between Trump, Zelensky, and US Vice President Vance, a dispute arose, all happening "live," under the watchful eye of cameras.
As a result of the altercation, the Ukrainian leader left the White House, and the agreement was never signed.
Britain stated that it would continue to support Ukraine moving forward. On March 1, the Ukrainian president arrived in London, where he met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The British politician "deliberately" stepped outside and embraced Zelensky, reports Sky News.
Journalists emphasize that Starmer wanted this gesture to be seen around the world.