The first face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will take place at the White House on Thursday, following the Republican leader’s reversal of US policy over Ukraine, the Middle East, and international trade.
After French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House on Monday for a cordial meeting that revealed sharp disagreements on Russia’s war with Ukraine and the US demand for an immediate ceasefire, the British prime minister is the second European leader to see Trump this week.
With his calls for reparations for US financial support of Kyiv, his deeper ties to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his accusations of dictatorship against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trump, who took office again on January 20, has stunned Europe, a longtime ally of the United States.
Additionally, Zelenskiy will be in Washington on Friday to sign a rare earth minerals deal with Trump, which the Ukrainian leader stated would depend on additional US assistance.
For Trump, the agreement is a way to recover American funds that have been used to aid Ukraine.
In order to provide Kyiv a permanent peace rather than a brief respite from bloodshed, the prime minister of the United Kingdom urged the United States on Wednesday to provide security backing for any European forces who participate in a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
In addition to signaling that Britain will boost defense spending, he is anticipated to attempt to reassure the US president that, should peace talks with Russia be successful, Europe will offer Kyiv security guarantees and backing.
