Donald Trump suggested a Ukraine peace deal will come ‘fairly soon or not at all’ tonight as he hailed ‘special’ Keir Starmer during a White House love-in.
At a joint press conference, the president gave a loose timeline for his efforts to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.
He also dropped hints that the UK will be spared from the worst of his tariffs, saying Sir Keir had been ‘working hard’ to convince him over lunch.
Mr Trump revealed that he hopes a ‘very good’ Transatlantic trade agreement might be done ‘quickly’ – as he complimented Sir Keir’s accent and even his ‘impressive’ wife.
Sir Keir also lavished praise on Mr Trump’s efforts to bring peace, but stressed any settlement must be lasting and not favour the ‘invader’. He welcomed a bust of Winston Churchill being returned to the Oval Office, and said they wanted to work together on a ‘new economic deal with advanced technology at its core’.
Pitching himself as a fellow ‘winner’ on stage with Mr Trump, Sir Keir acknowledged that they were from very different political traditions. But he said they both believed ‘it’s not the taking part that counts, it’s winning… if you don’t win, you don’t deliver’.
Earlier, the smiling PM was greeted by the president with a warm handshake outside the famous building in Washington.
In the Oval Office, Sir Keir handed Mr 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’.
During the exchanges in Washington tonight:
- The president insisted he stands by Nato’s Article 5 that lays out the commitment to collective defence;
- 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’. ‘I don’t think anyone’s going to play around while we’re there’
- Said he did not ‘remember’ calling Mr Zelensky a ‘dictator’ after the remark caused a huge backlash, and described him as ‘very brave’;
- The president heaped compliments on Sir Keir, insisting the pair get along ‘famously’ and were in agreement on ‘almost everything’;
- Sir Keir moved to correct Mr Trump after he repeated his claim that European countries had only loaned Ukraine money, saying it had been ‘gifted’ and would not be recouped.
Donald Trump suggested a Ukraine peace deal will come ‘fairly soon or not at all’ tonight as he hailed ‘special’ Keir Starmer during a White House love-in
At a joint press conference, the president gave a loose timeline for his efforts to negotiate with Vladimir Putin
Mr Trump turned on the charm as he hosted Sir Keir at the White House, even complimenting his accent
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
The smiling PM was greeted by the president outside the famous building in Washington
At the press conference, Sir Keir said he and Mr Trump had a ‘very productive discussion’ about a US security guarantee for a Ukrainian peace deal.
Asked if he felt satisfied about the so-called backstop after discussions with Mr Trump, Sir Keir said: ‘I thought we had a very productive discussion.
‘Obviously, as the President says, the deal has to come first. But, yes, our teams are going to be talking about how we make sure that deals sticks, is lasting, and enforced. So, our teams will be talking about that.’
Sir Keir paid tribute to Mr Trump’s ‘personal commitment to bring peace’ in Ukraine and said the UK is ‘ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal’.
He said: ‘We’re focused now on bringing an enduring end to the barbaric war in Ukraine. Mr President, I welcome your deep and personal commitment to bring peace and to stop the killing.
‘You’ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal.
‘A deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world. That is the prize. But we have to get it right … it can’t be peace that rewards the aggressor or that gives encouragement to regimes like Iran.
‘We agree history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader.
‘So, the stakes, they couldn’t be higher.
‘We’re determined to work together to deliver a good deal. We’ve discussed a plan today to reach a peace that is tough and fair. That Ukraine will help shape. That’s backed by strength to stop Putin coming back for more.
‘I’m working closely with other European leaders on this and I’m clear that the UK is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal. Working together with our allies, because that is the only way that peace will last.’
Mr Trump batted away his previous jibe at Mr Zelensky not holding elections during the war, and voiced optimism about their talks.
‘I think we’re going to have a very good meeting tomorrow morning. We’re going to get along really well,’ he said. ‘I have a lot of respect for him.’
He added: ‘We’ve given him a lot of equipment and a lot of money, but they have fought very bravely, no matter how you figure they have really fought. Somebody has to use that equipment and they have been very brave in that sense.’
Mr Trump repeatedly raised the prospect of a trade deal – suggesting it might be a way of avoiding the need for tariffs on UK imports.
‘We’re going to have a great trade agreement, one way or another,’ he said.
‘We’re going to end up with a very good trade agreement for both countries and we are working on that as we speak.’
He added: ‘I think we’ll have something, maybe in terms of possibilities, agreed very shortly.
‘We’ll see if we can do something pretty quickly. But we’re going to make some great trade agreements with the UK and with the Prime Minister, and it’ll happen very quickly.’
Mr Trump gave a hint that Britain – which he described as the ‘No1 ally’ – could be spared tariffs as the US goes on the attack over what it claims are unfair trade arrangements with the rest of the world.
Pressed on whether Sir Keir had convinced him not to impose trade tariffs on the UK, Donald Trump said: ‘He tried.’
The US President said: ‘He was working hard, I’ll tell you that. He earned whatever the hell they pay him over there, but he tried.
‘I think there’s a very good chance that in the case of these two great, friendly countries, I think we could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary. We’ll see.’
In the Oval Officer earlier, Mr Trump said Brexit had ‘worked out’ after he accused the EU of ‘screwing’ America, the president said relations with the UK were ‘different’ and ‘warm’. Sir Keir interjected that the US had a slightly positive trade balance with Britain.
Mr Trump suggested he would support the Chagos deal with Mauritius, in an apparent win for the PM.
Mr Trump claimed not to remember that he had described Volodymyr Zelensky as a ‘dictator’, acknowledging that things had got ‘testy’ despite their good relationship.
At one point he insisted that Kyiv joining Nato is ‘not going to happen’, echoing a Russian talking point by claiming that Joe Biden raising the prospect was what ‘started this whole thing’.
In one flicker of tensions, vice president JD Vance swiped at ‘infringements on free speech’ in the UK while answering a question.
Sir Keir shot back: ‘We have had free speech for a very long time in the UK. I’m very proud of that.’
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.’
After being presented the letter from the King inviting him for a state visit, the US President said: ‘The answer is yes.
‘On behalf of our wonderful First Lady Melania and myself, the answer is yes and we look forward to being there and honouring the King and honouring really your country.
‘Your country is a fantastic country and it’ll be our honour to be there.
‘Thank you very much.’
Sir Keir responded: ‘Well thank you very much Mr President. I shall happily take that back to His Majesty.’
Asked if he could be persuaded to provide a backstop security position as part of a Ukraine peace settlement, Mr Trump said: ‘President Zelensky is coming to see me on Friday, Friday morning, and we’re going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides, because it’s really going to get us into that country.’
He added: ‘It’s a backstop, you could say, I don’t think anybody’s going to play around if we’re there with a lot of workers and having to do with rare earths and other things which we need for our country.
‘We appreciate it very much and I look forward to seeing him. We’ll be talking about it and we’ll also be talking about that today with the Prime Minister.’
Reminded of his comment about Mr Zelensky being a ‘dictator’, Mr Trump said: ‘Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question, please go ahead.’
The US President said he was able to ‘get along with both’ Mr Zelensky and Putin.
He added: ‘I have a very good relationship with President Putin. I think I have a very good relationship with President Zelensky.’
He said: ‘It maybe got a little bit testy because we wanted to have a little bit of what the European nations had. You know, they they get their money back by giving money, we don’t get the money back. Biden made a deal. He put in 350 billion dollars and I thought it was a very unfair situation.’
Sir Keir intervened to say: ‘We’re not getting all of ours. I mean, quite a bit of ours was gifted. It was given. There were some loans, but mainly it was gifted actually.’
French President Emmanuel Macron corrected Mr Trump on the same point during his visit to Washington earlier this week.
Mr Trump said he would ‘always be with the British’ if they needed help. ‘You know, I’ve always found about the British – they don’t need much help,’ he said.
‘They can take care of themselves very well.
‘It sounds like it’s evasive but it’s not evasive. You know, the British have been incredible soldiers, incredible military, and they can take care of themselves.
‘But if they need help, I’ll always be with the British, OK? I’ll always be with them – but they don’t need help.’
Mr Trump seemed to contradict himself later when Sir Keir was talking about how the US and UK had always ‘absolutely backed each other up’.
‘Could you take on Russia by yourselves?’ Mr Trump said.
Sir Keir smiled and said: ‘Well…’
Grilled on threats of ‘beautiful’ tariffs of up to 25 per cent on imports to the US, Mr Trump said he would need to ‘take a look’ at the UK’s arrangements.
Mr Trump said: ‘I can say that … we’re here for a different reason – we’re talking about a very different place.
‘I have investments there, I own Turnberry, I own Aberdeen, and I own a great place called Doonbeg in Ireland.
‘So, I have a great warm spot for your country.’
Sir Keir Starmer then said: ‘And our trade, obviously, is fair and balanced and, in fact, you’ve got a bit of surplus.
‘So, we’re in a different position there – and obviously we contributed hugely in relation to Ukraine.’
Mr Trump said: ‘It’s going to work out.’
Asked if there will not be any sanctions on the UK, Mr Trump said: ‘Well, I have to take a look.’
On the deal to hand the British territory of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and pay to lease back the UK-US Diego Garcia military base – 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,’ he said.
‘They’re talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years, actually. It’s a long time.
‘I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country.’
He added: ‘It’s a little bit early, we have to yet be given the details, but it doesn’t sound bad.’
Mr Trump singled out Sir Keir’s wife Victoria during the on-camera chat, saying he was ‘very impressed’.
‘I think we have just a great relationship. We actually had a good relationship before. We’ve met a couple of times and I’m very impressed with him, and very impressed with his wife,’ he said.
‘I must say, she’s a beautiful, great woman.’
Sir Keir intervened to say: ‘I second that.’
Mr Trump continued: ‘And I said, ‘you’re very lucky’. He’s very lucky. And, no, we’ve had a very good relationship.’
Challenged if the UK would jeopardise its relationship with the US by seeking closer ties with the EU, Mr Trump said: ‘No, I don’t worry about that.’
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 was 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 has 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.
A fawning Sir Keir handed Mr Trump the invite for a state visit saying it was ‘historic’
Sir Keir was walking a diplomatic tightrope in his exchanges with the president
Sir Keir posted on social media about his discussions with Mr Trump
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 with the new ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson at the UK embassy earlier today
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.’
