President Donald Trump is meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Thursday, to discuss an agenda including Ukraine, defense pending and probable US-proposed tariffs.
Trump has previewed he'll likely be announcing a 25% tariff on goods from European Union countries, also amid ongoing US demands for NATO countries to rase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
The White House has been scene of a flurry of Ukraine-related diplomatic meetings this week. On Monday Trump hosted French President Emmanuel Macron, and things were deeply awkward.
Late last week Trump had declared that Starmer and Macron "haven't done anything" to end the war in Ukraine, in Friday remarks responding to pushback out of Europe over his peace plan.
Starmer and Trump are set to clash on the question of security guarantees for Ukraine, after Washington has issued a clear 'no' when it comes to the possibility of NATO membership.
"I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We’re going to have Europe do that … Europe is their next-door neighbor," Trump has stated.
As for the UK side and what the prime minister is expected to present in the Oval:
But on his plane, Starmer argued that a peace agreement would not be viable without such a US pledge. “I’m absolutely convinced that we need a lasting peace, not a ceasefire, and for that to happen we need security guarantees,” Starmer told reporters, according to Reuters.
Starmer is said to be looking for a US backstop:
Starmer also said he’d press the US president for another undertaking he’s so far been loath to give – a “backstop” for a “reassurance” force Britain and France have said they are ready to send to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement. Europe’s militaries lack the logistical, intelligence and anti-aircraft missile assets needed to secure such a force on their own, without the US.
Starmer said en route to the US that “my concern is if there is a ceasefire without a backstop, it will simply give him (Putin) the opportunity to wait and to come again because his ambition in relation to Ukraine is pretty obvious, I think, for all to see.”
European leaders and officials have been complaining that Trump is too much in 'Putin's corner' - and mainstream media has amplified such bogus claims as well, as the White House pushes a final peace settlement - but without Europe or Ukrainian representation.
Starmer is expected to plead for Trump not to 'abandon' Ukraine, even though it's become clear to all that Ukraine cannot win this war, and will have to make serious concessions.
Will Thursday's Trump-Starmer presser be as awkward as the Macron meeting?
President Zelensky will then be hosted at the White House on Friday, amid reports of a finalized rare earth minerals deal. However it's anything but clear whether details will be agreed to and inked on paper.
Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism in a Fox interview. "I think it’s a really a good sign that President Zelenskyy will be here tomorrow," Witkoff said. "The president is eager to get this behind us and move on to get a peace deal done between Ukraine and Russia."