Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” at the White House on Friday, in a fiery exchange described as “deeply troubling” by Scotland’s first minister.

John Swinney told the BBC he did not see how a state visit for the US president – offered by the King on Thursday – could go ahead unless he was “absolutely full-square with us” in protecting Ukraine.

However Starmer, who is hosting a summit of European leaders including Zelensky later, accused the SNP of using rhetoric and said he would not be distracted.

It followed a number of SNP MPs criticising the prime minister’s relationship with Trump on social media, including the party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn who said Starmer “better get back up off his knees and revoke that offer of a state visit”.

Prior to Zelensky’s warm welcome at Downing Street on Saturday, the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesperson Stephen Gethins’ accused the prime minister of being silent on the matter which he said was “disappointing”.

After the White House exchange Starmer called both Trump and Zelensky and later reiterated the UK’s support for Ukraine, saying “we stand with Ukraine for as long as it may take”.

Speaking to on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Starmer said: “I’ve seen people ramping up the rhetoric and taking to Twitter and saying what they would do – good for them, I’m not that interested in that.

“I’m interested in what are the practical steps, what are the bridge building that I can do, what are the relationships that I can mend and take forward to take us to lasting peace in Europe.

“I’m not going to be diverted by the SNP or others trying to ramp up the rhetoric without really appreciating what is the single most important thing at stake here – we’re talking about peace in Europe.”

Starmer used his US visit to present Trump with a letter from the King, offering an initial meeting in Scotland – where Trump owns two golf courses – to discuss the logistics of a second state visit.

Second-term US presidents are traditionally not offered state visits and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch, usually at Windsor Castle.

Taking a different tone from SNP MPs, John Swinney said he welcomed the role the prime minister was taking and that he supported him trying to find a way through a difficult situation.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday Show, he said: “I think the prime minister is absolutely right to try and find a way forward with the United States because the position that unfolded on Friday evening was… deeply troubling to watch.

“To see a courageous leader of a courageous country being berated in the fashion that President Zelensky was is completely unacceptable.”

But he added that he could not see how a state visit could go ahead if Trump was “not a steadfast ally of ours in protecting the future of Ukraine”.

He said: “That seems to me an absolutely fundamental requirement of any offer of a state visit to the president of the United States – that he is absolutely full-square with us in protecting Ukraine and insuring its independence.

“If we don’t do that then I think we are undermining the future of western democracy.”

John Swinney has previously said he would use Trump’s affinity for Scotland in a bid to avoid tariffs being applied on imports to the US, particularly on Scotch whisky.

He had publicly backed Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the run up to the 2024 presidential election.

Zelensky had hoped for positive talks with Trump during his visit, including the signing of a minerals deal which would give the US a real stake in his country’s future, if not an outright security guarantee.

Instead he faced an extraordinary dressing down in front of the world’s media, with Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance demanding that he show more gratitude for years of US support.

The Ukrainian president pushed back at suggestions from his more powerful partners that he should work harder to agree a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin. They responded that he was being “disrespectful”.

After his departure, Zelensky said Ukraine is “ready to sign the minerals agreement” but continued his call for US security guarantees.

The exchange prompted a series of responses from European leaders with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz among those reiterating their support for Ukraine.

Trump accused Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” during a fiery showdown at the White House on Friday.

It came the day after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer used his US visit to present Trump with a letter from the King, offering an initial meeting in Scotland to discuss the unprecedented second visit.

Stephen Gethins, the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesperson, called Trump’s behaviour towards Zelensky “grotesque” and said it amounted to “bullying”.

Speaking to BBC News, he said: “I’d describe last night’s performance as bullying, as a bigger country ganging up on a small country that is struggling for its very survival.

“The UK has left itself in an utterly isolated position. We need to get closer to our European partners and allies.

“Right now, given that treatment of one of our allies in Ukraine, I do not see how a state visit could possibly go ahead. We’ve had a bit of silence from the prime minister so far and that’s extremely disappointing.”

Zelensky arrived in London earlier and embraced the prime minister outside Downing Street.

Starmer reiterated the UK’s support for Ukraine, saying “we stand with Ukraine for as long as it may take” and spoke of “unwavering determination” to achieve a lasting peace for Ukraine.

Zelensky thanked Starmer for his support, and thanked King Charles III for accepting a meeting with him on Sunday – the same day he will take part in a summit with European leaders.

Three years on, the war continues in Ukraine, with further injuries in the city of Kharkiv after a recent Russian drone attack.

Zelensky had hoped for positive talks with Trump during his visit, including the signing of a minerals deal which would give the US a real stake in his country’s future, if not an outright security guarantee.

Instead he faced an extraordinary dressing down in front of the world’s media, with Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance demanding that he show more gratitude for years of US support.

The Ukrainian president pushed back at suggestions from his more powerful partners that he should work harder to agree a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin. They responded that he was being “disrespectful”.Watch in full: The remarkable exchange between Zelensky, Vance and Trump

After his departure, Zelensky said Ukraine is “ready to sign the minerals agreement” but continued his call for US security guarantees.

The exchange prompted a series of responses from European leaders with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz among those reiterating their support for Ukraine.

Posting on X on Friday, First Minister John Swinney said: “Today’s events in Washington are a clear cause for deep concern, for shock, for anger.

“What we need now are cool heads and clear thinking. We must stand firm with our European allies in the steadfast defence of Ukraine. That is where Scotland stands.”

Scottish Conservative MP Andrew Bowie, who is shadow secretary of state for Scotland, said the White House exchange was a “sad and depressing spectacle”.

On X, he added: “In the face of unprovoked Russian aggression and in the third year of a war to save his country, Vlodomyr Zelensky has been a symbol of calm strength and determination.

“Today his restraint was incredible. We stand with him and Ukraine.”

If Trump does indeed meet the King in Scotland to discuss a second state visit, it would be his first return to the country where he has family and business connections since 2023.

The Scottish government said Swinney, who endorsed rival Kamala Harris in last year’s election, would work to “strengthen” ties between the two countries.

Trump was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth for a three-day state visit during his first presidential term in 2019.

Second-term US presidents are traditionally not offered state visits and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch, usually at Windsor Castle.

But King Charles’ letter proposed a meeting in Scotland, where Trump owns two golf courses, to discuss arrangements for a second state visit.

The letter suggested meeting at either Dumfries House in Ayrshire, which the King has owned since 2007, or Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.

Trump appeared taken aback by the letter, but after taking a minute to read it he said he accepted the invite and that it would be an “honour” to visit the “fantastic” country.

The prime minister said it was a “privilege and an honour” to deliver the King’s letter to Trump, adding he “looked forward to welcoming” the president to the UK.

Meanwhile the Scottish Greens have said Donald Trump is not welcome in Scotland, with co-leader Patrick Harvie forecasting “protests and a great deal of anger” around the visit.