US President Donald Trump met with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the White House to convince him that lasting peace in Ukraine can only be ensured if leaders from both Kyiv and EU are part of the negotiations moving forward with Moscow, a report by Associated Press said.

Key Takeaways from Trump-Starmer Meet

Minerals deal over Military Support

Trump on Thursday said that a minerals deal with Ukraine provides the necessary security guarantee that it needs against Russia, dismissing Starmer’s plea for the support of US military.

Letter From King Charles

After delivering their opening remarks, the UK PM gave an official letter to Trump from King Charles III. The letter was an invitation from King Charles for a future state visit, to which Trump responded by saying that it would be an “honour” to visit the “fantastic” country. He further added that the King was a “beautiful man, a wonderful man”.

US-Russia talks

According to Reuters, Trump was positive on peace talks with Russia as he said that they were progressing. He also said that if a deal is struck, than Putin won’t invade Ukraine. However, Starmer advised against a rushed deal and said that caution should be exercised.

The UK PM said that striking a deal shouldn’t mean that the aggressor is being rewarded, while also highlighting European fears about much needed stability after a peace deal.

Tariffs on Britain

Starmer was asked by a reporter weather he could convince Trump to dismiss the tariffs on Britain, to which Trump responded by saying that he tried and was working hard to do so.

“We could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary. We’ll see,” Trump said.

Discussion on free speech

At the beginning of the visit, US Vice President JD Vance mentioned that both the leaders were talking about “infringements on free speech” in Britain that have affected US tech companies.

Starmer said, “We’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom.” He was also careful of not criticising Trump, and Trump in-return was seen praising him instead. “You’re a very tough negotiator,” Trump said, to which Starmer responded with a laugh saying, “I’m not sure I like that.”

(With Agency Inputs)