Starmer backs Zelensky after Trump calls him 'dictator'

By Joshua Nevett, Political reporter, Harry Farley, Political correspondent, Feb.20: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has backed Volodymyr Zelensky as a "democratically elected leader" after Donald Trump described the Ukrainian president as a "dictator".

Sir Keir called Zelensky on Wednesday evening and told him it was "perfectly reasonable" for Ukraine to "suspend elections during wartime as the UK did during World War Two", Downing Street said.

Trump had earlier criticised Zelensky, saying he had done a "terrible job" and claiming "he refuses to have elections" in Ukraine.

Zelensky's five-year term was due to end in May 2024, but elections have been suspended since martial law was declared after Russia's invasion.

Sir Keir will travel to Washington DC next week for his first in-person meeting with Trump.

The PM has said he wants to use his meeting next week to discuss a "US backstop" that he says is necessary to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.

But the deepening rift between the US and Ukraine has now increased the political jeopardy for him.

In his phone call with Zelensky, Sir Keir "stressed the need for everyone to work together", a Downing Street spokesperson said.

"The prime minister reiterated his support for the US-led efforts to get a lasting peace in Ukraine that deterred Russia from any future aggression," they added.

Zelensky said they had discussed "upcoming plans and opportunities", adding: "UK's support matters indeed, and we will never forget the respect the British people have shown for Ukraine and our citizens."

There has been widespread criticism of Trump's comments around the world - including from Sweden's prime minister as well as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said it was "simply wrong and dangerous".

Trump's former vice-president, Mike Pence, also criticised the comments, posting on X: "Mr President, Ukraine did not 'start' this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also defended the Ukrainian leader, writing on X that Zelensky was "the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin's illegal invasion".

But Badenoch said Trump was "right that Europe needs to pull its weight" and called on Sir Keir to "get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership".

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said calling Zelensky a dictator "must be where the line is drawn" and he hoped "the whole political spectrum... will speak with one voice in opposition to Trump's lies".

Former Conservative PM Boris Johnson posted on X to say "of course Ukraine didn't start the war".

"Trump's statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action," he added.

The wider question is whether this moment leads to a shift in the UK government's willingness to criticise Trump.

Often the read-outs - official summaries from the government of calls between the prime minister and world leaders - are quite bland.

The summary of the call from Downing Street went out of its way to describe President Zelensky as Ukraine's democratically elected leader and said it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during wartime - directly contradicting Trump earlier in the day.

Trump's attacks came after Zelensky accused the US president of living in a "bubble" of Russian disinformation.

The US and Russia's relations have grown closer in recent days, after officials met in Saudi Arabia and agreed to negotiate an end to the war.

Ukraine and European leaders were not invited to the talks.

Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, again rejected the idea - that had been suggested by some European leaders - of foreign peacekeeping troops being allowed in Ukraine in the event of any peace deal.

Sir Keir has said he would be prepared to deploy British troops to Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a peace deal provided there was a US "backstop".

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, the Russian ambassador to the UK said Moscow would not accept troops from the UK or other European nations in Ukraine, even if Trump approved the idea.

Mr Kelin also questioned whether there could be a potential peace agreement without fresh elections in Ukraine.

Asked if his country would give back some of the territory it had seized from Ukraine, the Russian ambassador said: "Why should we? We have liberated these territories, upon which Russian people are living for centuries."