Starmer to Meet Trump as Europe Fears Waning US Support for Ukraine

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit the White House on Thursday in an effort to persuade President Donald Trump that lasting peace in Ukraine can only be achieved if Kyiv and European leaders are involved in negotiations with Moscow.

Starmer’s trip, following shortly after French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron’s visit, highlights growing European concern that Trump’s push for a swift end to Russia’s war in Ukraine may lead to excessive concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We’re going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides,” Trump said Wednesday as he held the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. “For Ukraine, we’re going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much (land) back as possible."

However, the president's growing ties with Russia have unsettled America's traditional European allies, who are on edge as Trump returns to the White House with a resolve to overhaul U.S. foreign policy to align with his “America First” worldview.

Last week, the Trump administration held talks with Russia without Ukrainian or other European allies present. Additionally, this week the U.S. declined to support U.N. resolutions condemning Russia for the war. This shifting stance on Ukraine under Trump is sparking a major shift in transatlantic relations.

However, the administration is rejecting the idea that Trump is overlooking Europe or too eager to push for settlement talks with Putin.

“He hasn’t conceded anything to anyone,” Vice President JD Vance said. “He’s doing the job of a diplomat.”

Trump’s meeting with Starmer is scheduled a day before his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During their meeting on Friday, the two are expected to finalize a controversial deal granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s vital minerals, used in industries like aerospace, defense, and nuclear energy. Zelenskyy had been reluctant to sign the agreement without clear security guarantees from the U.S.

However, in announcing the plans for the leaders to sign the agreement, Trump was vague about any potential American security guarantees.

“I’m not going to make security guarantees ... very much,” Trump said. “We’re going to have Europe do that.”

Indeed, if both Starmer and Macron means what they said, they have agreed to send soldiers to what would have been a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine to stop any further fight between Kiev and Moscow.

It was just confirmed on Wednesday that the British Prime Minister has no intentions of hosting an international meeting on Ukraine but that he expects Zelenskyy to attend on Sunday.

Accordingly, an idea has come out this week which the opposition aimed at raising the UK’s defense budget which would for sure play well with Trump given that he has criticized other European allies for not keeping too much money with respect to defense.

It has been planned for the UK military budget to hit 2.5% of GDP by 2027 rather than 3% by 2035.

Beyond the war in Ukraine, Starmer stated that the discussions will focus on "a stable economy, secure borders, and national security," along with collaboration on AI and other advanced technologies.

He will emphasize that Europe must "contribute to global defense and step up for the sake of collective European security."

“The world is becoming increasingly dangerous, and it’s more crucial than ever that we stand united with our allies,” Starmer said. “There are significant opportunities for us to strengthen our special relationship, foster growth and security, and improve the lives of working people in both of our great nations.”

Starmer is also eager to explore “the potential of deeper technology and AI partnerships,” according to his office, including ambitious yet undefined “shared moonshot missions in key technologies like quantum and AI, as well as a closer partnership in space.”