U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday marked the second of three world leaders making hurried visits to the White House this week as Ukraine’s future likely depends on the looming decisions of America’s new president.
Starmer and Trump discussed defense spending, the role of NATO members in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security, and the importance of a pending rare earth minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine, which is the impetus for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s White House visit Friday.
“We have to get it right. There’s a famous slogan in the United Kingdom from after the Second World War, that is that we have to win the peace, and that’s what we must do now. Because it can’t be peace that rewards the aggressor. Or that encourages regimes like Iran. We agree history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader,” Starmer said.
Starmer’s comments echoed allies’ concerns Trump may end support for Ukraine while thawing relations with Russia. Trump has also been reluctant, at least publicly, to commit to any U.S. security guarantees in Ukraine.
In several instances Thursday, Trump expressed an openness to trusting Russian President Vladimir Putin to adhere to the terms of a peace deal.
“I think he’ll keep his word. I think, I think he’s, I’ve spoken to him. I’ve known him for a long time now, you know. I’ve known him. We had, we had to go through the Russian hoax together. That was not a good thing, was not fair,” Trump said.
Like French President Emmanuel Macron 48 hours before him, Starmer sought to assure U.S. “backstops” in a peace deal, meaning alternatives to boots on the ground that would deter Russia from invading again in the future.
During a bilateral press conference with Trump, Starmer reiterated his willingness to deploy British troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission alongside allies “to make sure it’s a deal that lasts.”
“If we understand that the U.S. will be one of the countries or one of the leading countries who give security guarantees, then this could be a success or the first step towards a sustainable, fair peace growth of the Ukrainian economy,” Zelenskyy said Wednesday. “Or if it’s just some sort of beginning without a vision for the end, we will make conclusions after my conversation with President Trump.”
Democrats in Congress are watching the terms of this deal closely. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he wants to hear directly from Zelenskyy about how he feels about what the administration put on the table.
“It strikes me as extortionist,” Blumenthal said. “And I want to know from him whether he’s satisfied with the kind of security guarantees he has. I want my meeting with Zelenskyy to be bipartisan so that my Republican colleagues can hear from him about how Ukraine’s security involves ours and how extortionate tactics from this administration are endangering our security.”
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