British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday rejected calls to cancel the offer of a state visit to U.S. President Donald Trump following his confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.

Last week, Starmer met with Trump in Washington, using a mix of flattery and an invitation from the British royal family to encourage a U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine, should a peace deal with Russia be achieved. Some British politicians, including Scottish National Party (SNP) leader John Swinney, have called for the visit to be revoked after Trump accused Zelenskyy of ingratitude for U.S. support in Ukraine’s war. Starmer criticized these calls, stating that they risked deepening divisions with Washington at a time of European fragility, emphasizing that peace in Europe was the most important issue at stake. Unlike some European leaders, Starmer has refrained from criticizing Trump, even in the face of provocations over issues like Gaza and Ukraine. The state visit invitation from King Charles would make Trump the first elected U.S. president in modern times to receive two state visits from a British monarch. A state visit is a prestigious event, typically involving grand ceremonies and lavish banquets. Trump’s first state visit in June 2019 included a state banquet and tea with Charles, who was then heir to the throne. While the SNP and some Conservative lawmakers, like Alicia Kearns, have called for the visit to be delayed until the U.S. offers a security guarantee to Ukraine, a petition urging the cancellation has gained nearly 70,000 signatures. Some right-wing British newspapers have also criticized Trump since his row with Zelenskyy, with The Telegraph accusing him of being “undeservedly and disgracefully bullied.”