- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with President Donald Trump in the White House to discuss a peace deal for Ukraine.
- Starmer urged Trump to have the U.S. provide a security guarantee to help ensure the deal lasts.
- Trump will be meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a deal over Ukraine's rare-mineral deposits.
As the second of three foreign leaders to meet with President Donald Trump this week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer used his visit on Thursday to urge the president to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House and on Friday Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be the third foreign leader this week to meet with Trump this week.
Thursday’s visit was Starmer’s third visit to the White House in seven months, but the first since Trump took office.
Starmer and Trump’s discussion about peace in Ukraine
During the meeting between the two leaders, the prime minister urged Trump not to abandon Ukraine as a way to bring a quick end to the war with Russia.
“You’ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal — a deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world,” Starmer said to Trump, per The Associated Press. “That is the prize. But we have to get it right.”
The prime minister emphasized that world leaders need to take time making the deal because it needs to be a deal that lasts.
“If it doesn’t happen quickly, it may not happen at all,” Trump said.
The prime minister said that the possibility of a peace deal is thanks to Trump, but he did urge the president to be cautious in making a deal with Russia.
“History must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader,” Starmer said.
Starmer also made the argument to Trump that there would not be long-term peace in Ukraine without strong security guarantees. However, Trump all but dismissed this argument, according to Reuters.
According to Politico, the U.K. has offered to deploy armed forces for a potential Europe-wide peacekeeping force after the war in Ukraine. Starmer and allies have been coordinating to ask for a U.S. “backstop.” This backstop would be a security guarantee to safeguard peackeeping troops in case Russia chooses to retaliate.
“Because my concern is if there is a ceasefire without a backstop, it will simply give him the opportunity to wait and to come again because his ambition in relation to Ukraine is pretty obvious, I think, for all to see.” said Starmer about Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Politco.
What else did Starmer and Trump talk about?
There were other topics discussed as a part of the meeting between the two leaders, such as long alliance between the U.S. and the U.K.
“Our countries have been bound together for a very long time now, the closest alliance I think, of any two countries when it comes to prosperity and security, and I know that together, we will strengthen that even further on issues like Ukraine,” Starmer said.
During the visit the Starmer also presented a letter to Trump from Great Britain’s King Charles, formally inviting him to visit the U.K., an invitation which the president accepted.
When Trump was asked about whether he would back down from not letting Ukraine join NATO he said “Look, it’s not going to happen. This is not going to happen.”
The two leaders also spoke about trade and the potential of Trump putting tariffs on the U.K.
Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday
During Friday’s meeting, Trump and Zelenskyy are set to sign a deal for sharing the revenue from Ukraine’s rare-earth mineral deposits, per Politico.
Trump described the deal as “a very big agreement”, while Zelenskyy said it is simply “a beginning, a framework deal.” According to Politico, a White House official confirmed the agreement has broad language referencing security guarantees for Ukraine but that it does not guarantee future aid for the war or commit U.S. personnel being in the region.