What to look out for in the Starmer and Trump meeting
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump will meet in the White House.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Oval Office talks with Donald Trump come at a crucial point for the transatlantic relationship.
Issues including the future of Ukraine, trade tariffs and the proposed deal on the Chagos Islands – including the joint US-UK Diego Garcia base – are all potential bear traps for the Prime Minister in his talks with the US President.
– What is Mr Trump’s relationship with Sir Keir like?
Surprisingly good, for two seemingly opposite personalities. Mr Trump has described him as a “very good guy”. Unlike other world leaders – such as the extrovert French President Emmanuel Macron who was in Washington on Monday – talks between Sir Keir and Mr Trump will probably involve fewer theatrics and grandstanding.
Allies of Sir Keir believe the relationship allows the Prime Minister to have tricky conversations with Mr Trump without running the risk of antagonising him.
– What’s happening with Ukraine?
Mr Trump’s decision to open talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin alarmed European leaders who are concerned Ukraine will be sidelined in the negotiations and could be forced to concede too much in the US president’s rush to strike a deal.
Sir Keir has said he is prepared to commit British troops to a peacekeeping force to safeguard a lasting ceasefire, but only if the US provides a security “backstop”, sufficient to “deter Putin from coming again”.
That could involve the US providing surveillance and intelligence and – as a last resort – American jets providing air cover for European troops on the ground.
Any peace deal is still some way off, and European nations are reluctant to pledge troops to a peacekeeping force without US guarantees.
But Mr Trump is unlikely to make commitments without the Europeans making their promises first, creating a diplomatic stand-off.
– What about trade?
The US has already announced plans to hit imports of British steel with a 25% tariff, something due to come into force on March 12.
Mr Trump has also hinted at tariffs in retaliation for charging VAT on US goods.
The UK’s ambassador to Washington, Lord Mandelson, told a reception on Wednesday night that “one thing we don’t need to fight over is trade, because we have this fantastically fair and balanced trade relationship when we reciprocate so much – that’s just a little thing for you to remember in the coming weeks”.
– What’s happening with the Chagos Islands?
The UK wants to hand the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius, following rulings against British sovereignty at the International Court of Justice.
But the largest of the islands is Diego Garcia, home of a strategically important US-UK military base.
The proposed deal would see the UK lease back the base at taxpayers’ expense for a period of at least 99 years, but the situation has caused alarm among some in the Trump camp, including secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the deal would not go ahead if Mr Trump rejects it.
However, the future of the base is not thought to be particularly high on the agenda of the Trump administration.
