Wes Streeting says UK has role to play after Donald Trump's astonishing Zelensky attack

Wes Streeting says UK has role to play after Donald Trump's astonishing Zelensky attack Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said the UK will 'try to bring our friends back together' after Donald Trump said it was 'time for Ukraine to get a new president' over criticism of his Russia oil deal Wes Streeting has said the UK will "try to bring our friends back together" after Donald Trump launched an extraordinary attack on Volodymyr Zelensky. The Defence Secretary said Britain supports the Ukrainian president - while also voicing his disappointment that the US President had struck an oil deal with Vladimir Putin. On Saturday Trump claimed it was "time for Ukraine to get a new President" after Mr Zelensky hit out at the agreement, which undermines sanctions against Russia and boosts the Kremlin war machine. Mr Streeting said the UK wants to see all its allies turning the screws on Moscow - and suggested Trump had agreed to buy Russian oil because he is facing tricky mid-term elections with the cost of living rocketing for Americans. He told the BBC: "The choice as to who leads Ukraine is one for the Ukrainians. To see more of the stories you love from The Mirror and to find them easily in Google then make us your preferred source. Free and easy-to-do, just click on the link here to find more from The Mirror at the top of your feed. "At the heart of this war is that fundamental principle of self-determination, freedom, and democracy. And we should be in no doubt, in this country we are in no doubt, that the aggressor here was Vladimir Putin. "He is the person who chose to start this war. He is the person who could end this war tomorrow, and he chooses not to. So we stand with Ukraine, we stand with President Zelensky. "And in terms of what we've seen overnight, it's not the first time that we've seen a public disagreement between Washington and Kyiv. And when these things happen, we see it as our responsibility as the UK to try and bring our friends back together again. "And I think that's the leadership you can expect from Andy Burnham and the rest of the team." On Saturday Trump launched an astonishing tirade against Mr Zelensky - criticising him for striking Russian oil refineries, and appearing to suggest he should have surrendered. Trump told reporters: "We said, 'you can do whatever you want to Russia, don't hit the refineries', because that's a world problem that's caused. He could have made many deals and for some reason, he never does." And he went on: “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal.″ The US President has sparked outrage around the world after he and Putin reached an agreement for Russia to supply hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel fuel to the US and world markets. Asked whether this pulls Western unity on sanctions apart, Mr Streeting told Sky News: "I think that's probably an overstatement. It's not what we want to see. We want to see all of our allies increasing pressure on Russia, including through economic sanctions, and the UK intends to do more in this respect." He went on: "Let's be candid about this, midterms are coming up, cost of living is an issue, and no doubt President Trump is feeling the same pressure that lots of leaders are facing in terms of wanting to ease cost of living pressures, energy prices." Asked if he was linking the two, Mr Streeting said: "I think it's just a political reality, isn't it, that cost of living is high on the public agenda in this country, elsewhere, and no doubt President Trump wants to respond to that. We would obviously prefer a stronger approach on sanctions, but one of my observations - I've been in this job now for a few months - one of my observations is that people often talk down the US contribution that they're making to the Ukrainian war effort, but whether it's through procurement, the weapons supply, whether it's the diplomatic track, I've found the US administration to be highly engaged on Ukraine." Andy Burnham spoke with Mr Zelensky following Trump's comments, voicing his support for the Ukrainian leader. A No10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine today. “The Prime Minister began by recognising the last 24 hours had been difficult for Ukraine and reiterated his complete solidarity. “The two leaders next discussed the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia: the Prime Minister made it clear that the UK would continue to strengthen its sanctions on Russia and to take further action to constrain the Russian war machine, building on new UK designations against Russian targets announced this week. “They underlined that Russia should agree to an immediate energy ceasefire, ending its brutal strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and its attacks on shipping in the Black Sea. This would immediately release more energy and food supplies into the global market. “The two leaders agreed to meet in person in the coming days to continue their discussion.”