‘Fed up’ with Trump and Putin affecting UK energy costs

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he is “fed up” seeing energy bills in the U.K. swing up and down because of actions taken by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The comments, in an interview with ITV News’ Talking Politics podcast dated Thursday, aired as oil prices — which have soared during the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran — fluctuated amid a fragile two-week ceasefire.

“I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world,” Starmer said.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, setting off a yearslong war that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and roiled the global economy.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly defended Trump’s actions.

“Many world leaders have spent decades talking about the threat posed by Iran, but doing nothing about it,” she said by email. “President Trump took courageous action to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and as he said, we are far along with a definitive agreement to deliver lasting peace.”

Starmer also said Israel was “wrong” to order deadly strikes on Lebanon during the ceasefire. Iran has accused the U.S. of violating the pause in hostilities, pointing in part to the Lebanon strikes.