UK must 'bridge gap' between US and Ukraine, says Emily Thornberry as she praises PM's 'pitch perfect' response
by Emma Soteriou · LBCBy Emma Soteriou
The UK must 'bridge the gap' between the US and Ukraine, Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Emily Thornberry has said.
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Speaking on LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, Ms Thornberry said she thought Keir Starmer was "pitch perfect" dealing with the clash over the weekend.
She said she believed Trump's latest comments, claiming Zelenskyy "does not want peace", show that it is vital that the PM step up to bring both sides together.
"Someone's got to do it and we're going to," Ms Thornberry said. "I think Keir Starmer was pitch perfect this weekend.
"I'm sure I'm not alone among people who saw events in the White House and were absolutely despairing.
"[It was] very distressing to see what was going on, then it's like an emotional rollercoaster, the weekend goes on and we see Britain stepping up and playing it exactly the way we need to in order to try to bring (the US and Ukraine) together."
Read more: 'America won't put up with this for much longer' - Trump hits out at Zelenskyy again
Andrew Marr is joined by Emily Thornberry 03/03 | Watch Again
Addressing Trump's remarks, she said: "This is why we need to have someone like Keir Starmer pulling the two sides together because they both should want peace.
"The problem is, Zelenskyy doesn't trust Putin and there are times you wonder just how much Trump trusts Putin and seems to be quite naive by it.
"Zelenskyy has suffered signing deals with Putin and has been double-crossed by him so that's why he's so keen on there not being peace until he can be confident there is some kind of security guarantee."
Zelenskyy has said that a peace deal is "still very, very far away", adding that he expects to keep receiving US support despite his bust-up with Trump.
In response, Trump said: "This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!
"It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US."
Trump offered Zelenskyy 'nothing short of extortion' for protection
Meanwhile, addressing MPs in the Commons on Monday, Starmer said that the nation is at a "crossroads in history" and that nations must seek a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine.
"Peace in Europe depends on strength and deterrence," he said.
He said that the angry confrontation in the Oval Office was “something nobody in this house wants to see”, but he added: "I do want to be crystal clear – we must strengthen our relationship with America, for our security, for our technology, for our trade and investment.
"They are, and always will be indispensable, and we will never choose between either side of the Atlantic.
"In fact, if anything, the past week has shown that that idea is totally unserious, because while some people may enjoy the simplicity of taking a side, this week has shown with total clarity that the US is vital in securing the peace we all want to see in Ukraine."