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President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office on Thursday. Starmer is on his first visit to the White House since Trump returned to office. Carl Court/Getty Images hide caption
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Carl Court/Getty Images
President Trump expressed confidence Thursday in reaching a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, while downplaying the need for U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine.
He said that striking a deal with Russia would be the "difficult part," but that adding security is the easy part.
"I have confidence that if we make a deal, it's going to hold," Trump told reporters in a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
As part of the broader effort, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will come to Washington, D.C., on Friday to sign a critical minerals deal. Trump indicated that the deal would serve as a security "backstop."
"I don't think anybody's going to play around if we're there with a lot of workers," Trump said.
The British prime minister is in Washington just days after French President Emmanuel Macron spent the day at the White House on Monday. The visits are part of a combined effort urging Trump to maintain U.S. support for Ukraine.
Both Starmer and Macron used a mix of praise and flattery to woo the U.S. president. Macron commended Trump for agreeing to work with Zelenskyy on a rare minerals agreement that would provide more security guarantees.
An invite from King Charles III
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hands an invitation from King Charles III for a second state visit to President Trump at the White House on Thursday. Carl Court/Getty Images hide caption
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Carl Court/Getty Images
Starmer opened his meeting by presenting Trump with an invitation from King Charles III to visit London for a second State Visit. Trump accepted.
Starmer then credited Trump with "changing the conversation" to open the possibility for a peace deal.
But he emphasized that the United Kingdom wants to make sure the deal "is enduring."
"We've talked and we will talk about how we work with yourself, Mr. President, to ensure that this deal is something which is not violated, because it's very important that if there is a deal, we keep it," Starmer said.
Trump said he expected it would last.
