WASHINGTON: Presi­dent Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met at the White House on Thursday for their first in-person talks since the Republican leader upended US policy on Ukraine, the Middle East and global trade.

Starmer is the second European leader to meet Trump this week after French President Emmanuel Macron came to the White House on Monday for a friendly encounter that nonetheless displayed stark differences about Russia’s war with Ukraine and the US push for a quick ceasefire.

“We’ll be discussing Russia-Ukraine, we’ll be discussing trade,” said Trump, who also accepted an invitation for a state visit to Britain in the near future as he sat next to Starmer in the Oval Office.

Starmer, meanwhile, expressed optimism about a Ukraine peace deal. The two leaders were set to hold meetings and then a press conference. Trump, who came into office on Jan 20, has shocked

traditional US allies in Europe by drawing closer to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a “dictator,” and demanding payback for US financial support for Kyiv.

Zelenskiy is expected to be in Washington on Friday to sign an agreement with Trump on rare earth minerals, a deal the Ukrainian leader said would hinge on further US aid. Trump portrays the deal as a way to recoup American money that has been spent to support Ukraine. It includes no specific security guarantees for Ukraine, a US official said.

Starmer on Wednesday urged the United States to provide a security “backstop” for any European forces that take part in a potential peacekeeping role in Ukraine, saying that would offer Kyiv a lasting peace rather than a temporary pause in violence.

He has signalled that Britain will increase defence spending and is expected to try to reassure the US president that Europe will provide support and security guarantees to Kyiv if peace talks with Russia are successful.

A senior Trump administration official told reporters they were pleased with Starmer’s pledges to increase defence spending.

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned “Western elites” against trying to sabotage a potential rapprochement between Russia and the United States, saying Moscow would use its diplomats and intelligence services to thwart such efforts. The remarks were an apparent reference to the EU and Britain.

Trump has shattered foreign policy and domestic policy norms since the start of his second term, rattling allies by advocating for US ownership of the Gaza Strip and by promising trade tariffs on US friends and foes alike.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2025