UK prime minister dismisses calls to cancel Trump visit after Zelensky meeting

SUMMARY

British PM Keir Starmer’s not budging on President Trump’s state visit invite, despite Friday’s fiery Oval Office clash with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. In a BBC interview Sunday, Starmer waved off demands from folks like Scotland’s SNP leader John Swinney to ditch the plan after Trump slammed Zelensky for not showing enough gratitude for U.S. aid against Russia. “I’m not getting sidetracked by the SNP or anyone cranking up the outrage,” Starmer said, stressing he’s focused on patching things up for peace in Europe. He’s been busy—phoning both Trump and Zelensky after the mess, and hosting a European summit Sunday to rally support for Ukraine. The invite, hand-delivered Thursday from King Charles, marks a rare second state visit for Trump, who called it “truly historic.” Starmer pitched it as a big deal, and Trump’s all in for a Windsor Castle trip. The two got chummy at the White House just a day before the Zelensky blowup, but now Starmer’s playing peacemaker.