KEIR Starmer is set to become the first European leader to meet Donald Trump since his re-election after it was confirmed he will meet the US president next week.
The Prime Minister is set to travel to Washington DC for talks with Trump after European leaders were blindsided by the president’s decision to meet with Russia in a bid to end the Ukraine war.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister looks forward to meeting President Trump shortly to discuss how we can deepen the special relationship across trade, investment and security.”
Starmer (above) has said he would commit UK troops to Ukraine if the war is brought to an end, saying that Europe was facing a “generational challenge” in national security.
Trump’s peace talks with Russia have rankled European leaders and Kyiv, with no EU representatives or Ukrainian officials invited to attend.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz told a press conference on Saturday that there could “only be peace if Ukraine’s sovereignty is secured”, adding: “A dictated peace will therefore never find our support.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (below) said on Monday that US-Russia talks would “yield no results” because of his country’s exclusion.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the talks, led by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US secretary of state Marco Rubio, were focused on “restoring the entire complex of US-Russian relations”.
He added that the Russians and Americans would also discuss preparations for “possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement” and a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Trump.
Starmer is pushing for Britain to meet Trump’s demand that Nato countries dramatically boost their military budgets – though the Prime Minister’s 2.5% of GDP target falls short of the US president’s desire for twice as much.
