President Trump said Thursday that despite his refusal to pledge US support for peacekeepers, he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin to not violate the terms of the potential peace deal with Ukraine.
“I think he'll keep his words,” Trump said of Putin when he hosted British prime minister Kiel Starmer at the White House.
Putin's president said, “I've known him for a long time.”
Trump's comments highlight Putin's embrace a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to arrive in Washington, and confirm a deal that shares revenues with the United States from mineral sources. Trump has supplemented billions of dollars with military and humanitarian aid the United States has delivered to Ukraine over three years in search of access to Ukraine's minerals.
In the first weeks of his presidency, Trump repeatedly paraded Zelensky, including calling him a “dictator” by ending Russia's diplomatic isolation, falsely accusing Ukraine of starting a war with Russia. He appeared to change his song on Thursday, but predicted that the two of them would have a good face-to-face meeting.
“I have a lot of respect for him,” Trump said, but he dodged a question Friday about whether he would apologise to Zelensky for the “dictator” comments. Early in the press conference, when asked if he still thought Zelensky was a dictator, Trump deadpanned: I can't believe I said that. ”
Starmer was the latest in a series of European leaders coming to Washington in hoping to reason with Trump to negotiate with the Russians to end the war. French President Emmanuel Macron visited earlier this week.
“History must be on the side of the Peacemaker, not the invader,” said Starmer, who stood next to Trump in the east room of the White House. The comments were more keen than those from Macron and other leaders who have even hesitated to push back against Trump when visiting the White House.
“The UK is ready to work closely with its allies to put the ground and planes in the air to support the transaction,” Starmer said. “Because that's the only way peace can last.”
The British Prime Minister used his visit to deliver a letter from Charles III, inviting Trump to visit the state, and the first time the US president provided the honor twice. (Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump for state dinner during his first term.)
After opening a letter from the king, Trump called him “a great and great gentleman.”
However, Hoshi's efforts to fine-tune Trump at Ukraine's direction did not seem to work, even historic state visit promises. Trump did not mention US troops that support peacekeeping missions, including the British.
The Prime Minister's attitude towards Putin will likely be almost the same as that of Trump.
At the oval office on Thursday afternoon, Trump was asked what would happen if the UK dispatches peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, if Russia urges the peace deal to reverence. If Russia is attacked again, will the Americans come to the aid of the Ukrainian British?
In the minute, it seemed like Trump was saying no (“They can take care of themselves”) (“If they need help, I'm always with the British”) and went back to no (“They don't need help”).
“Can you take on Russia yourself?” Trump asked him that he was sitting nearby with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Anxious laughter broke out in the room. Ukraine previously felt the consequences of weak security agreements. In December 1994, it gave up Soviet nuclear weapons. Soviet nuclear weapons are still controlled from Moscow, with the US, UK and Russia agreeing to respect Ukraine's existing borders.
When Russia seized Crimea in 2014, the agreement proved unworthy. And the agreement brought Ukrainian weapons and intelligence report support in 2022 at the start of a full-scale Russian invasion, but neither the UK nor the US provided troops.
Beyond the diplomatic pleasure of the day, the two men were expected to have some difficult conversations about the future of Ukraine and whether the peace agreement would bring concessions to Russia.
Starmer was ready to urge Trump not to plunge into a diplomatic resolution in the conflict without assurance that he was given security guarantees that would prevent Russia from invading again.
But White House officials said before the meeting Thursday morning that the discussion about rare earth minerals that Trump said he needs the US did not include such guarantees.
