A Scottish National Party, SNP politician, Stephen Gethins, has advised the United Kingdom to cancel the planned state visit of President Donald Trump following his heated exchange with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The tense interaction between President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and the Ukrainian leader at the Oval Office on Friday made headlines across the world.
In reaction, Gethins said Trump’s second state visit to the UK should be put on hold if the US leader continues his seemingly hostile disposition towards the Ukrainian leader.
Gethins, a serving Member of Parliament, emphasised that Trump’s attitude during Zelensky’s visit to the White House amounted to “bullying.”
Speaking to BBC News, he said what the world witnessed was “bullying, as a bigger country ganging up on a small country that is struggling for its very survival.”
The SNP’s foreign affairs spokesperson noted that the UK has left itself “in an utterly isolated position” and must strengthen ties with European partners and allies.
“Given that treatment of one of our allies in Ukraine, I do not see how a state visit could possibly go ahead,” Gethins added.
Zelensky met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Saturday after his departure from Washington, D.C., where he had been expected to sign a mineral deal with Trump.