Ukraine is on an “irreversible path to Nato”, Sir Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelensky, in an apparent rebuke to the position taken by Donald Trump.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the UK was committed to Ukraine’s membership of the alliance in a call with the country’s president on Friday morning, Downing Street said.

“He was unequivocal that there could be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine,” it added, amid fears Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin could strike a peace deal without Kyiv’s involvement.

Sir Keir’s commitment to Ukraine joining Nato appears to conflict with the stance of the US president, who on Thursday blamed the Biden administration’s talk of Kyiv joining the alliance for starting Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

“I believe that is the reason the war started,” Mr Trump said. “Biden shouldn’t have said that.”