Starmer's position as Trump's new best friend will be tested much more quickly than anyone predicted

After the detonation of global diplomacy we saw in the White House on Friday, all eyes are now on Downing Street.

Following his early exit from the Oval Office, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has left Washington and flown directly to the UK for an urgent meeting with Sir Keir Starmer ahead of Sunday's summit with European leaders.

It's an event which has been brought forward by a day, such is the anxiety about the unprecedented public breakdown in the relationship between the US and the Ukrainians.

After the verbal beating meted out by Donald Trump and JD Vance, walking into Number 10 for a tete-a-tete with one of his staunchest allies will surely be something of a relief for the Ukrainian president.

But the question is what they can do to try and salvage the situation.

Ukraine latest: Zelenskyy arrives in the UK

After replaying the humiliating row in his head all night, Mr Zelenskyy has issued a detailed statement defending his position.

Clearly bruised by the vice president's unfounded claims about a lack of gratitude, he repeatedly thanked Mr Trump and the American people for their support.

But the fundamentals of his position - and the roots of that row with the Trump administration - remain unchanged. He reiterated his argument that Vladimir Putin has repeatedly broken ceasefires in the past and cannot be trusted not to do so in the future without strong US security guarantees.

"Once these guarantees are in place, we can talk with Russia, Europe and the US about diplomacy," he said. "I want the US to stand more firmly on our side."

Given his outright hostility to Mr Zelenskyy, it's not a message Mr Trump seems in any mood to hear.

But it is effectively the position of the UK government too. Sir Keir has pledged his willingness to put British boots on the ground as part of a European peacekeeping force, in the event of a peace deal - but only if the US agrees to provide a security "backstop" to deter Mr Putin from attacking again.

Read more:
Starmer in crisis talks with Zelenskyy
Pope not out of danger, Vatican sources say
Trump 'offended' by Zelenskyy's outfit

Sunday's summit - hosted by Sir Keir and bringing together Mr Zelenskyy with a group of key European leaders - was meant to cap off a week of busy diplomacy. The British prime minister and French President Emmanuel Macron had clearly hoped to build on the success of their own visits to the White House and drum up further offers of support for their European peacekeeping plan.

Now that diplomatic momentum has been stopped in its tracks. Would the Europeans even consider going it alone, without the Americans? It was previously an unthinkable question, involving inconceivable increases in defence spending.

But the continent's leaders have been relatively united in expressing their unshakeable backing for Mr Zelenskyy. Surely they will need to discuss how far they would be prepared to go if Mr Trump followed through with his threats to cancel American support completely.

The prime minister only had a few hours to bask in the glow of his own unexpectedly successful trip to the White House on Thursday before Mr Zelenskyy's visit blew up in such an extreme fashion.

Now his position as Mr Trump's new best friend (with the "lovely accent") will be tested much more quickly than anyone had predicted.

Will the prime minister be able to leverage their special relationship to stand up for Mr Zelenskyy and resurrect American support for Ukraine?

He's regularly talked about acting as a bridge between Europe and the US. But it's an increasingly impossible task when the two continents are pulling themselves apart.

(c) Sky News 2025: Starmer's position as Trump's new best friend will be tested much more quickly than anyone