WASHINGTON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting the White House on Thursday to try to convince President Donald Trump that a lasting peace in Ukraine will endure only if Kyiv and European leaders are at the table and there are secruity guarantees in place as negotiations move forward with Moscow.
Starmer’s trip, coming a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron’s own visit, reflects the mounting concern felt by much of Europe that Trump’s aggressive push to find an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine signals his willingness to concede too much to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump was noncommittal about any coming American security guarantees. “I’m not going to make security guarantees … very much,” Trump said. “We’re going to have Europe do that.” If a truce can be reached, Starmer and Macron have agreed to send troops for a potential peacekeeping mission to Ukraine.
Beyond the war in Ukraine, Starmer said the talks will home in on “a stable economy, secure borders and national security,” as well as cooperation on AI and other cutting-edge technology. He will stress that Europe must ‘play its part on global defence’. Starmer extended a state visit invitation to Trump on behalf of King Charles. Trump has accepted the invitation.