UK's position explained after Donald Trump warned Zelenskyy he's 'gambling with WW3' in explosive White House argument
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was the latest European leader to sit in Donald Trump's hot seat this week - and it was a heated affair.
The pair came to verbal blows in the Oval Office earlier today (28 February), with the US president warning his Ukrainian counterpart that he was 'gambling with World War III'.
Put it this way - Ukraine's Ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, was left with her head in her hands after hearing the leaders lock horns.
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As well as patting his own nation on the back for offering military support, Trump told Zelenskyy that Ukraine is in 'big trouble' and that the country is 'not winning' the conflict with Russia.
"If you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks," he fumed. "You don't have the cards right now. You're buried there, people are dying, you're running low on soldiers.
"With us, you have the cards...You're gambling with the lives of millions of people! You're gambling with World War III! What you're doing is very disrespectful to this country."
The mention of World War III has obviously set alarm bells ringing for a lot of people, and a host of Brits have now been left wondering where the UK stands in all of this.
Zelenskyy's disastrous visit came hot on the heels of Sir Keir Starmer's sit-down with Trump, where the leaders both vowed to nurture the longstanding transatlantic relationship.
Despite their meeting appearing very chummy and Trump describing the UK Prime Minister as a 'special man', the pair took opposing views on what to do about Ukraine.
Trump stated that 'if it [a peace deal] doesn't happen quickly, it may not happen at all', while Starmer insisted that 'history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader'.
The president insisted that the US would 'always be with the British', but seemed to suggest he wouldn't follow the UK's suit by sending soldiers over to Ukraine to enforce any peace deal.
The Labour leader recently declared that he is 'ready and willing' to send UK troops to the war-torn country, while he also drastically amped up the UK's defence spending.
According to Trump, UK soldiers would be able to 'take care of themselves' in this peace-keeping scenario.
When asked if he would bolster the British military in Ukraine with US forces if necessary, Trump responded: "If they need help, I'll always be with the British, okay? But they don't need help.
"The British have incredible soldiers, incredible military and they can take care of themselves."
So... as Starmer is somewhat stuck in the middle amid Zelenskyy and Trump's spat on Friday, where does the UK government go from here?
Well, according to reports, Downing Street will stand firm.
Sources told Sky News that the government's position - which the insider described as 'unwavering support for just and lasting peace that ensures Ukraine's sovereignty and security' - remains unchanged.
Reiterating Starmer's 'no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine' stance, the source then added: "Let's see what happens in coming days."
Trump quickly issued a statement regarding the drama in the Oval Office on his platform Truth Social, before Zelenskyy shared a response of his own.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also shared her thoughts on the explosive exchange in a post on X too, saying 'respectable diplomacy is essential for peace'.
"A divided West only benefits Russia," Badenoch wrote. "Now is the time for more cooperation, not less. Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
"We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine."
On Sunday (2 March), Starmer will hold talks in Downing Street with Zelenskyy and other European leaders in the hopes of working out how to secure 'lasting and enforced' peace in Ukraine.
Topics: US News, UK News, Ukraine, Russia, Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, Politics
Olivia Burke