WASHINGTON (news agencies) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer wore a broad smile aboard the plane home from Washington. He landed back in Britain on Friday with the satisfaction of a tricky mission not quite accomplished, but off to a flying start.
Starmer’s goals for his trip were to persuade President Donald Trump to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in any peace deal and head off duties on British goods while pursuing a rapport with an unpredictable U.S. leader who is the center-left prime minister’s opposite in temperament and political outlook.
On the personal front, he appeared to be remarkably successful. Whether that will bolster U.S. support for Kyiv or spare the U.K. from tariffs, only time will tell.
Welcoming Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House, a relaxed-looking Trump was generous. He called Britain’s leader “a special man” and said the two get along “famously.”
Sitting alongside the president in matching chairs, Starmer didn’t get to say much — but he also didn’t have any awkward moments.
At a news conference later, the British leader laid on the charm, praising Trump for returning a bust of Winston Churchill — removed during the Obama and Biden administrations — to its “rightful place” in the Oval Office.
He even compared himself to Trump, saying that although “we are from different political traditions. … We’re both in a hurry to get things done.”
Months of work went into preparing Starmer for this crucial meeting, with British officials strategizing how to strike the right balance of friendship, flattery and frankness.
Starmer walked the line well — largely sticking to accentuating the positive, while occasionally pushing back. He thanked the president for creating a “moment of tremendous opportunity” to end the war in Ukraine — skipping over concerns in Kyiv and other European capitals that Trump is pursuing warmer ties with Russia at the expense of old allies.
Starmer said Trump has made a “historic peace agreement” possible — though he cautioned that it “can’t be peace that rewards the aggressor,” pushing back on Trump’s reluctance to blame Russia for starting the war.
The British press showed rare unity in declaring the trip a success. “Charmer Starmer pulls off diplomatic win in White House,” said the front page of the i newspaper, which prides itself on its neutrality.
“What an unlikely bromance!” said the right-leaning Daily Mail beside a photo of the two men laughing together.
There were hints Starmer may have nudged Trump’s thinking, or at least his language, on Ukraine. Trump said he had “a lot of respect” for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the democratically elected leader whom he recently called a dictator.
The American president said a deal to end the war could come soon, but appeared to offer little on Starmer’s request for U.S. security guarantees to underpin a ceasefire agreement. Britain and France are leading efforts to form a European-led military force to safeguard peace in Ukraine, but argue it can only work with the “backstop” of U.S. military might in case of breaches.
Trump said a deal he is due to sign with Zelenskyy on Friday, giving the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical minerals, was in itself a security guarantee, because it would bring “a lot” of Americans to work in Ukraine.
He expressed confidence Russian President Vladimir Putin would keep his word; Starmer pointed out that the leader has often broken promises.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump is willing to offer more to Ukraine, though he suggested a deal could see some land seized by Russia returned to Kyiv’s control. “We’re going to see if we can get it back,” he said.
That struck a different note from his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who recently suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia.
Starmer is due to debrief Zelenskyy and European allies about his trip at a meeting in London on Sunday.
On the economy, Trump suggested the U.S. and Britain could soon strike a trade deal where the tariffs he has imposed or threatened on other countries “won’t be necessary.”
United Arab Emirates Dirham Exchange Rate
