U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met at the White House to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict and trade. Starmer expressed optimism about a Ukraine peace deal but warned that a rushed deal that excludes Ukraine and European nations, could destabilize the region.
Starmer reassured Trump that Britain would increase defense spending and urged the U.S. to provide security “backstop” for European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. Starmer has offered to deploy British troops in coordination with other European countries, to provide security guarantees to Ukraine if peace talks with Russia succeed.
The meeting comes as Trump shifts U.S. foreign policy, aligning closer to Russia, while criticizing Ukraine’s leadership, and demanding financial returns for U.S. aid to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit Washington to finalize a rare earth minerals deal, but the deal does not include any security guarantees for Ukraine.
Starmer is the second European leader to meet Trump this week, following French President Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin warned Western nations against interfering in U.S.-Russia relations.
