Rod Stewart's passionate six-word message after Donald Trump row with Zelensky

Sir Rod Stewart has praised Keir Starmer and spoke of his support for Ukraine in a new message to his fans, after sharing a picture of the Prime Minister and Ukrainian president outside Number 10

British pop icon Sir Rod Stewart has offered his own take on Donald Trump's row with Volodymyr Zelensky - and has heaped praise on Keir Starmer.

The 'Sailing' singer is a proud supporter of Ukraine, and even faced down boos from some sections of the crowd at a concert in Germany last year when he displayed a photograph of Zelensky on stage. Now, Sir Rod has been among those to notice the stark contrast in how the Ukrainian leader was warmly greeted by the Prime Minister at Number 10 on Saturday, compared to the tirade he was subjected to by Donald Trump in the White House just 24 hours earlier.

Sharing a picture of the two men stood outside No10 Downing Street, he wrote on his Instagram Story: "Proud to be British. Well done Starmer in welcoming Zelensky to the number 10". He rounded it off with the six-word message: "We must keep supporting the Ukrainians".

He is only the latest celebrity to criticise Trump and Vice President JD Vance's scathing treatment of Volodymyr Zelenksy in the Oval Office on Friday. In the hours that followed, Sir Michael Caine reprised his immortal line from The Italian Job when he posted on X (formerly Twitter): "You're only supposed to sign a ceasefire." It was a wry nod to his character's quip in the classic British film, in which he said: "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!"

Daytime TV host Lorraine Kelly also blasted Trump's apparent mocking of Zelensky wearing military fatigues to the meeting - pointing out that Winston Churchill, a bust of whom is displayed in the Oval Office, had also worn a similar outfit in a visit during World War Two in 1942. She wrote on Instagram: "Winston Churchill at the White House - not wearing a suit because we were at war. The disrespect to President Zelensky throughout was appalling and shameful."

King Charles is set to welcome Volodymyr Zelensky at Sandringham this evening, once crunch talks with European leaders to discuss a future Ukraine peace deal have concluded. Speaking to the Prime Minister in Number 10 yesterday, he thanked the people of Britain for their support and added: "I'm very happy that His Majesty the King accepted my meeting tomorrow, and I'm thankful that you organised such great summit for tomorrow." King Charles and Zelensky first met at Buckingham Palace back in February 2023, and spoke again at Blenheim Palace last summer during the European Political Community summit.