Zelenskyy meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London following Trump Oval Office clash
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was warmly greeted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer outside 10 Downing St. in London on Saturday, a day after Zelenskyy’s tense exchange with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. 

Zelemskyy and Starmer, who met with Trump in Washington on Thursday, embraced, shook hands, waved and gave a thumbs up to reporters before heading inside the prime minister’s residence for their meeting. 

The scheduled London visit comes after Zelenskyy’s blowup with Trump and Vice President JD Vance during Friday’s televised meeting in the Oval Office. 

Zelenskyy was peppered with questions from shouting reporters about Trump outside the prime minister’s residence, but remained tight-lipped. 

Tensions increased during the Oval Office meeting on Friday over a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine after Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn’t be trusted and had breached other agreements.

Trump and Vance then accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful for the support the U.S. has provided over the years and said the Ukrainian leader was in a “bad position” at the negotiating table. 

“You’re playing cards,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country.”

Zelenskyy in the meeting with Trump and Vance

Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov)

After Vance told Zelenskyy Ukraine had manpower and military recruiting problems, Zelenskyy said war means “everybody has problems, even you,” adding the U.S. would feel the war “in the future.”

“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump responded. “We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.”

Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House after the exchange, a scheduled news conference was canceled and a deal for Ukraine to give the U.S. its rare earth minerals was left unsigned. 

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for America’s help after the meeting.

“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,” he wrote on X. “Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.” 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pauses during an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News' "Special Report" in Washington, D.C., Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pauses during an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News’ “Special Report” in Washington, D.C., Friday. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Ukrainian president told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier in an interview after the meeting on “Special Report” that he believes Ukrainian-U.S. ties can be salvaged.

“Yes, of course, because it’s relations more than two presidents,” he said in the exclusive interview. “It’s the historical relations, strong relations between our people. And that’s why I always began … to thank your people from our people.

“Of course, thankful to the president and, of course, to Congress,” Zelenskyy added, “But, first of all, to your people … we wanted very much to have all this strong relations and where it counted. We will have it.”

Zelenskyy said he was “not sure we did something bad” when asked about the heated exchange but conceded the dustup was “bad for both sides.”

Fox News’ Madeline Coggins contributed to this report. 

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