Donald Trump hailed ‘special’ Keir Starmer and praised Brexit tonight as they staged a love-in at the White House.
The smiling PM was greeted by the president with a warm handshake outside the famous building in Washington.
During the meeting in the Oval Office, Sir Keir presented Mr. Trump with a letter from the King inviting him for a historic second state visit. Mr. Trump expressed his intentions of visiting the UK ‘soon’ in response.
Mr. Trump hinted that Britain might be exempt from tariffs as the US intensifies its criticism of what it perceives as unfair trade deals globally. With a focus on Brexit and his criticism of the EU’s trade practices, the president emphasized that the relationship between the US and the UK is unique and positive.
Additionally, Mr. Trump mentioned that he did not recall referring to Volodymyr Zelensky as a ‘dictator.’ He acknowledged that there had been some tension in their interactions despite generally having a good rapport.
Mr Trump also suggested he would support the Chagos deal with Mauritius, in an apparent win for the PM.
But Sir Keir is facing a diplomatic high-wire act as he appeals for Mr Trump to stop Vladimir Putin ‘coming again’ after a rushed Ukraine peace deal, arguing America must help guarantee the terms.
In the Oval Office exchanges:
- Mr Trump said he ‘had confidence’ that a deal with Russia for peace in Ukraine could hold, but he was taking an approach of ‘trust but verify’ with Putin;
- He suggested the raw minerals deal with Mr Zelensky, expected to be signed tomorrow, amounted to a security ‘backstop’;
- Said he did not ‘remember’ calling Mr Zelensky a ‘dictator’ after the remark caused a huge backlash;
- The president heaped compliments on Sir Keir, insisting the pair get along ‘famously’ and were in agreement on ‘almost everything’;
In the Oval Office, Keir Starmer handed Donald Trump a letter from the King inviting him for an unprecedented second state visit, and he responded that he would be coming to the UK ‘soon’
Donald Trump hailed ‘special’ Keir Starmer and praised Brexit tonight as they met at the White House
Keir Starmer is in Washington for talks with the US president, with a bewildering array of potential flashpoints to be covered
The smiling PM was greeted by the president outside the famous building in Washington
Mr Trump (pictured) did not seem in a mood to change course last night, telling a Cabinet meeting the US would not be providing security guarantees ‘beyond very much’
Sir Keir with the new ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson at the UK embassy earlier today
Mr Trump said: ‘It’s a great honour to have Prime Minister Starmer at the Oval Office.
‘It’s a very special place and he’s a special man – and the United Kingdom is a wonderful country that I know very well, I’m there a lot.
‘I’ll be going there and we expect to see each other in the near future – we’ll be announcing it.
‘We’re going to be discussing many things today, we’re going to be discussing Russia/Ukraine, we’ll be discussing trade and lots of other items, and I think we can say we are going to be getting along on every one of them.
‘We’ve had a tremendous relationship and, frankly, the Prime Minister and I have met twice before, and we get along very famously, as you would say, and I look forward to it very much.
‘We look forward to the day and the meeting, and we’ll be having a luncheon after this, and then another work session, and I believe we’re going to have a press conference at the end – so I look forward to it and, Mr Prime Minister, thank you very much.’
On the Chagos deal, which has been causing increasing alarm in the UK, Mr Trump seemed ready to support it.
‘We’re going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well,’ Mr Trump said.
‘I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country,’
The premier was given a boost before the encounter as US officials praised the UK’s commitment to hike spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP, and the offer of troops for any Ukraine settlement.
A senior Trump administration official said this afternoon: ‘We’re very pleased with Prime Minister Starmer’s announcement to increase spending to 2.5 per cent of the UK is GDP.
‘President Trump does continue to urge our NATO allies to increase their spending even further toward 5 per cent to address years of underfunding in the defense capabilities of NATO.
‘We appreciate President Starmer’s leadership, also in his recent discussions committing British troops to help enforce peace once a deal is reached.’
However, eagle-eyed observers also noted that the Union Flag is being flown upside down at the Blair House residence where Sir Keir has been staying as a guest of the US – traditionally a distress signal.
Mr Trump did not seem in a mood to change course on security guarantees last night, telling a Cabinet meeting the US would not be providing them ‘beyond very much’. He said ‘we’re going to have Europe do that’.
The commander-in-chief suggested Ukraine could ‘forget about’ joining Nato, appearing to blame the alliance for Russia’s invasion. ‘That’s probably the reason the whole thing started,’ he said.
Mr Trump also insisted 25 per cent tariffs will be imposed on the EU, which he has said was formed to ‘screw’ the US. Britain is currently facing tariffs on steel exports, and the threat of ‘reciprocal’ tariffs to offset VAT – even though that is a general sales tax rather than a charge on imports.
Speaking to reporters en route to Washington last night, Sir Keir confirmed he is ready to send thousands of British troops to keep the peace in Ukraine if Mr Trump secures a truce in the three-year-old war.
But he warned it would be an impossible mission unless the United States provides a military ‘backstop’ to British and European forces.
The PM said Putin would inevitably ‘come again’ unless the West is united in securing Ukraine’s future – potentially plunging the continent into war.
‘The reason I say the backstop is so important is that the security guarantee has to be sufficient to deter Putin from coming again,’ he said.
‘My concern is if there is a ceasefire without a backstop, it will simply give him the opportunity to wait and to come again because his ambition in relation to Ukraine is pretty obvious, I think, for all to see.’
He added: ‘I’m considering how we preserve peace in Europe and how we get a lasting peace in Ukraine.’
‘And I’m absolutely convinced that we need a lasting peace, not a ceasefire, and for that to happen we need security guarantees.
‘Precisely what that layers up to, what that looks like, is obviously a subject of intense discussion.
‘We will play our part and I’ve been clear that we will need a US backstop of some sort.’
The PM’s visit to the White House today is part of a frantic European effort to persuade President Trump not to abandon Ukraine and Europe.
The diplomatic push began with a visit by Emmanuel Macron to the White House on Monday and will continue when President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Washington tomorrow to discuss what security guarantees the US is prepared to offer in return for a share of valuable rare minerals.
All three leaders are expected to review progress at an emergency summit on European security in London on Sunday.
The Ukrainian president said the proposed deal on rare minerals ‘may be part of future security guarantees, but I want to understand the broader vision. What awaits Ukraine?’
The PM faces a diplomatic tightrope as he tries to avoid antagonising a President whose claim that President Zelensky is a ‘dictator’ and recent statements on issues like Nato and Gaza have horrified and alarmed senior ministers.
Sir Keir has been appealing for Mr Trump to stop Vladimir Putin (pictured) ‘coming again’ after a rushed peace deal, arguing America must help guarantee the terms
The diplomatic push began with a visit by Emmanuel Macron to the White House on Monday and will continue when President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured right in Dublin today) visits Washington tomorrow
Yesterday Sir Keir pointedly referred to President Zelensky as Ukraine’s ‘democratically elected’ leader.
And Downing Street said he would push Mr Trump to agree that Ukraine’s leader must be involved in any peace talks on the future of his country.
But government sources acknowledged he is anxious to avoid a public row with the President, whose return to the White House last month has upended the post-war world order.
At a reception attended by Sir Keir last night, new ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson praised Mr Trump as a ‘very consequential president’.
The peer said it was a ‘very significant moment for our lives, between our two countries and indeed for all the freedom-loving democracies in the world’.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has admitted there will be ‘no deal’ on handing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius – and then paying to lease back the military base on Diego Garcia – unless Mr Trump agrees.
Ahead of Sir Keir’s talks with Mr Trump, a Cabinet minister suggested the PM would not be ‘fact-checking’.
In an apparent swipe at Mr Macron – who attempted to correct Mr Trump on Ukraine funding during his own visit to Washington DC this week – Environment Secretary Steve Reed said Sir Keir did not need to be ‘performative’.
He told reporters during a Westminster lunch event: ‘I don’t think it is for the Prime Minister on any visit to be fact-checking, as you put it, his host – wherever that might be.
‘It’s for the British Prime Minister to advocate for the interests of the UK in a way that is most likely to secure the outcomes that we want. That is the approach the Prime Minister will be taking.
‘It’s not performative, it’s extremely serious about getting the outcomes we need, whether that would be on trade, on security, or on any other issues that might come up during those kinds of meetings.’
