Starmer visits Washington for Trump talks with US-Europe ties under strain

Sir Keir Starmer will push a reluctant Donald Trump to provide a US “backstop” to prevent Vladimir Putin launching a fresh assault on Ukraine after any peace deal.

The US President said he would not provide security guarantees “beyond very much”, insisting it was for Europeans to protect Ukraine.

Sir Keir is prepared to commit British troops to a peacekeeping mission but believes that US promises are vital to “deter Putin from coming again”.

Ahead of his talks at the White House on Thursday, Sir Keir said Mr Trump can be trusted and understands that Russian President Mr Putin started the war in Ukraine.

The US President has said Volodymyr Zelensky will visit him on Friday to sign an economic deal that will include US access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals.

But the Ukrainian President earlier said that the framework agreement did not yet include the US security guarantees that Kyiv sees as vital.

Mr Zelensky is expected to come to the UK at the weekend.

Mr Trump, who has launched efforts with Russia to find a quick peace deal to end the conflict, has called Mr Zelensky a “dictator” and suggested he was to blame for starting the war.

But Sir Keir said it was clear that Russian president Mr Putin was “the aggressor” – and that there were “no issues” with Mr Trump on that.

He told reporters travelling with him to Washington: “They are the aggressor. They have invaded and occupied a sovereign country in Europe, and they bear full responsibility for the conflict.”

Asked if Mr Trump knew that, the Prime Minister said: “Of course, the president has been very clear about the peace that he wants. He’s right about that. We all want peace.

“The question is, how do we make sure it’s a lasting peace. There’s no issue between us on this.”

Setting out his call for US commitments to Ukraine after a peace deal, Sir Keir said: “The reason I say the backstop is so important is that the security guarantee has to be sufficient to deter Putin from coming again.”

While Sir Keir was flying to Washington, the US president said: “I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We’re going to have Europe do that, because we’re talking about Europe as the next-door neighbour.”

Sir Keir said the offer of British troops to a peacekeeping mission if there is a deal – with the risk of being on the front line if Russia invades again – was “a decision I’ve not taken lightly”.

“I want a lasting peace, and I don’t think that will happen if there isn’t an effective deterrence to Putin,” Sir Keir said.

“The UK will play its part in that with others but we need a US backstop. Because I don’t think there will be a deterrent to Putin if we don’t have one.”

Mr Trump’s overtures to Mr Putin, and his decision to side with the Kremlin’s allies in Belarus and North Korea at the United Nations – against Ukraine, the UK and major European powers – have severely tested the Nato alliance.

Asked whether he could trust Mr Trump following the events of recent weeks, Sir Keir said: “Yes, I’ve got a good relationship with him.

“I’ve met him, I’ve spoken to him on the phone and this relationship between our two countries is a special relationship with a long history, forged as we fought wars together, as we traded together.

“I want it to go from strength to strength.”

The Prime Minister will hope the promise to increase defence spending to a 2.5% share of the economy from April 2027 helps persuade Mr Trump that European nations are serious about the security of their continent.

Sir Keir wants to act as a bridge between the US and European continental allies, and said he had been having “really intense discussions with our European partners, with Nato, with Ukraine, and obviously with US teams as well”.

Mr Trump said on Wednesday that the EU was formed to “screw the United States” and that he was planning 25% tariffs on goods from the bloc.

Mr Zelensky and European leaders will meet for talks hosted by Sir Keir on Sunday following separate White House visits by both the Prime Minister and Ukrainian president.

But Ukraine and Mr Trump’s commitment to the Nato alliance are not the only issues which could lead to difficult conversations between the two leaders at the White House.

The looming imposition of US tariffs on imports of British steel could also be a tricky topic.

Asked if he was confident the UK will be exempted from tariffs, Sir Keir said “I’m not going to get ahead of our discussions”, but he stressed that British trade with the US was “pretty balanced”.

The Prime Minister’s plan to strike a deal to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and then lease back the strategically important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia could also be a contentious issue with Mr Trump.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who is also in Washington, told ITV’s Peston: “If President Trump doesn’t like the deal, the deal will not go forward.

“The reason for that is because we have a shared military and intelligence interest with the United States, and of course they’ve got to be happy with the deal, or there is no deal.”

Sir Keir could try to use Mr Trump’s love of the royal family to win the president’s favour – with speculation that an invitation for a state visit could be on offer.

A trip to see the King in Balmoral could play into both Mr Trump’s fondness for the monarchy and his links to Scotland – where his mother was born and where he has two golf resorts.

Sir Keir said the possibility of a second state visit for Mr Trump was a “matter for His Majesty the King” but Mr Trump was “very fond of the royal family”.

Downing Street hopes the talks with Mr Trump will focus on cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence partnerships, including a a proposal of high-ambition “moonshot” missions.