Keir Starmer has insisted he still trusts Donald Trump despite his Oval Office bust-up with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The US and his number two JD Vance ganged up on the Ukrainian leader just 24 hours after Trump and Starmer’s White House love-in.

That led to two phone calls on Friday and Saturday between the PM and Trump in an bid to salvage attempts to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine.

Starmer also welcomed Zelenskyy to 10 Downing Street on Saturday evening, telling him: ”We stand with you, with Ukraine, for as long as it may take.”

On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC1 this morning, Starmer was asked if he felt “uncomfortable” watching the row between Zelenskyy and Trump.

He said: “Yes I felt uncomfortable, nobody wants to see that, but the important thing is how to react to that.

“There are a number of different routes people could go down. One is to ramp up the rhetoric as to how outraged we all are or not, the other is to do what I did, which is roll up my sleeves, pick up the phone, talk to President Trump.”

The PM added: “My reaction was we have to bridge this, we have to find a way that we can all work together, because in the end we’ve had three years of bloody conflict now, we need to get to that lasting peace.”

Asked if he trusted the US and Ukrainian presidents, Starmer said: “Yes I do.”

Pressed on why he trusts Trump, the PM said: “Because I’ve spoken to him a number of times. I’ve got to know him. I’ve had extensive discussions with him and I believe his motivation is lasting peace.”

He added: “If the central question you’re putting to me is do I trust Donald Trump when he says he wants lasting peace? The answer to that question is yes.

“But, also, take a step back, the relationship between the US and the UK is the closest relationship of any two countries in the world, our defence, our security, our intelligence, are bound up one with another in a way that is not seen anywhere else in the world.”

Asked if he would trust Russian president Vladimir Putin, he said: “Well, no, I wouldn’t trust Putin, which is why I want a security guarantee.

“I wouldn’t trust him not to come again, because he’s proven that he will come again. He’s already done it and we know what his ambitions are.”