First-Ever Meeting Between President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Starmer on Ukraine, Middle East, and Trade Relations

First-Ever Meeting Between President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Starmer on Ukraine, Middle East, and Trade Relations

Washington — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, where they will discuss the necessity of having Ukraine and European leaders involved in U.S. negotiations to end the years-long Russia-Ukraine war.

Following the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, this meeting reflects growing concern across much of Europe that Trump’s aggressive push to end the war in Ukraine signals his willingness to make too many concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While Macron described his meeting as a "turning point," no deal has been reached yet to end the war in Ukraine.

Keir Starmer’s Commitment to Increase UK Defense Budget

Trump has been urging the UK and European countries to increase their spending, as the U.S. has already provided billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Starmer pledged to increase the UK’s defense budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, in hopes of persuading Trump to maintain U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO.

Currently, the UK spends 2.3% of GDP on defense, and the government had previously set a target of 2.5% without a specific timeframe.

Starmer told lawmakers that this increase would amount to an additional £13.4 billion ($17 billion) annually. The goal is to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2035.

Trump and Zelensky to Sign Rare Earth Minerals Deal

Trump has announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the White House on Friday to sign a deal on rare earth minerals. While the details of the agreement remain unclear, it is known that the U.S. is seeking revenue from Ukraine’s rare minerals, which are used in aerospace, defense, and nuclear industries.

Trump believes this deal will help the U.S. recoup its investment in Ukrainian defense efforts.

Trump Discusses Potential Meeting with Putin After War

After the war in Ukraine, Trump has suggested a potential face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia to discuss a peace agreement, though he did not specify any concessions.

Additionally, relations between the U.S. and Russia have become closer, especially after a recent meeting in Saudi Arabia, where both countries discussed cooperation beyond the war.

On Thursday, senior U.S. and Russian diplomats are meeting in Turkey to discuss embassy operations and work toward normalizing diplomatic relations.