British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Mr. Starmer urged Mr. Trump to commit to protecting Ukraine after any potential peace deal and warned against rewarding Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Mr. Trump dismissed these concerns, insisting that negotiations to end the war would “happen fairly quickly or not happen at all.”
Mr. Trump’s stance disappointed European leaders, including Mr. Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Washington earlier in the week. Both leaders expressed concerns that Mr. Trump’s aggressive pursuit of ending the war might involve too many concessions to Mr. Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit the White House next, where Mr. Trump expects to sign a minerals deal giving the U.S. access to Ukraine’s precious metals as “payback” for American aid. Mr. Trump suggested that having U.S. companies mining in Ukraine would deter future Russian invasions, despite many valuable deposits being in Russian-occupied territory.
Tensions between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelenskyy have escalated recently, with Mr. Trump previously calling Mr. Zelenskyy a “dictator” and demanding that Ukraine repay U.S. financial support.
During the meeting, Mr. Starmer presented Mr. Trump with an invitation from King Charles for a state visit to Britain, which Mr. Trump accepted. This makes Mr. Trump the first elected politician in modern times to receive two British state visits.
Mr. Starmer appeared to make progress in protecting Britain from Mr. Trump’s planned tariffs on European imports. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is working on a U.S.-British trade agreement that could be finalized soon.
Despite Mr. Starmer’s diplomatic efforts, discussions seemed tense. Mr. Starmer publicly warned that a peace deal rewarding Russia could embolden other U.S. adversaries like China and Iran. He expressed concern when Mr. Trump dismissed questions about whether the U.S. would militarily support British troops in a post-war Ukraine.
European leaders have advocated for using troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine, but acknowledge this requires U.S. military support. Mr. Trump has rejected the idea of American boots on the ground, though the U.S. could provide aerial intelligence and support.
Russian officials have rejected the concept of European peacekeepers in Ukraine and continue to bomb the Ukrainian capital, suggesting that despite Mr. Trump’s optimism, an immediate end to the conflict remains unlikely.
Read more: Trump says Ukraine peace deal will happen ’fairly quickly or not at all’
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