UPDATE: Downing Street has issued a statement since this story was published. Find it at the end of this article.
KEIR Starmer’s UK Government has remained silent amid growing international condemnation of Donald Trump and support for Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Labour leader’s administration has not posted on social media, spoken in public, or issued a statement to the press despite increasing outrage at Trump’s treatment of the Ukrainian president.
Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said the UK Government’s refusal to speak was “absolutely appalling”.
At a press briefing in the White House on Friday, Trump and his second-in-command JD Vance took aim at Zelenskyy – claiming he was running low on soldiers, had no cards to play, and had only survived longer than two weeks after the Russian invasion due to US support.
🚨 BREAKING: Donald Trump, JD Vance and President Zelenskyy get into a heated exchange in the Oval Office Vance: "Do you think that it's respectful to come to the Oval Office and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?" pic.twitter.com/B6VKyMMSwk
— Politics US (@PolitlcsUS) February 28, 2025
Numerous European leaders – including EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, French president Emmanuel Macron, and Scottish First Minister John Swinney – expressed strong support for Zelenskyy, which the Ukrainian president has been sharing on social media along with messages of thanks.
On the other side, Dmitry Medvedev, one of Russian despot Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, wrote on social media praising Trump, saying the “insolent pig [Zelenskyy] finally got a proper slap down in the Oval Office”.
However, the UK Government has maintained its silence, missing deadlines to respond to the press and having their media teams refer journalists back to statements Starmer made earlier in the week about Ukraine being at the heart of peace talks.
Writing on social media, Culture Secretary Robertson said: “Unified reaction from leaders across Europe tonight supporting @ZelenskyyUa and Ukraine.
“Still absolutely nothing from UK PM @Keir_Starmer and Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy.
“Absolutely appalling.”
The most recent post on Starmer’s Twitter/X account is welcoming his close ally, the unelected Labour peer Jenny Chapman, to her new ministerial position.
French president Macron's, in contrast, states: "There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine.
"We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so. By 'we', I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others.
"Thank you to all who have helped and continue to do so. And respect to those who have been fighting since the beginning — because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children, and the security of Europe."
There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine. We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so. By “we,” I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others. Thank you to…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 28, 2025
Sharing Macron’s post in support of Ukraine, former SNP MP John Nicolson wrote: “This is what we needed from Keir Starmer – blunt opposition to #Trump. No letters from the King, fawning, unearned invitations and obsequiousness.
“As history teaches us – you can’t compromise with fascism.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and the Scottish Greens’ co-leader Patrick Harvie have both called for the invitation for a state visit to the UK, which Starmer gave Trump on Thursday, to be rescinded.
The calls have been growing across the political spectrum, with right-wing commentator Andrew Neil writing on social media: “After Trump’s disgraceful bullying of Zelensky today, aided and abetted by sidekick Vance, why would we want Trump to pay a state visit to the UK?
“Can the invitation letter be withdrawn?”
UPDATE:
After this story was published, Downing Street issued a statement. It said: “The Prime Minister has tonight spoken to both President Trump and President Zelenskyy.
“He retains unwavering support for Ukraine, and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine.
“The Prime Minister looks forward to hosting international leaders on Sunday including President Zelenskyy.”
