US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin to uphold any ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought security guarantees for Kyiv during his visit to Washington. Starmer also presented Trump with a historic invitation for a second state visit from King Charles III.
In a meeting at the White House, Trump contradicted Starmer’s warnings that a lack of a US-backed ceasefire could embolden Putin to resume hostilities, emphasizing his belief that Putin would honour a truce. While Starmer stressed the need for strong US support in peace efforts, including surveillance and potential air power, Trump expressed his confidence in Putin’s commitment to any deal.
Starmer’s visit, which followed a similar one by French President Emmanuel Macron, comes over growing concerns in Europe that Trump might soften his stance on Ukraine. Trump also downplayed controversial remarks he made about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a “dictator” earlier, joking, “Did I say that?”
While Trump is set to meet Zelensky at the White House on Friday, the anticipated deal focused on US access to Ukraine’s minerals seems to omit key security guarantees that Kyiv had hoped for. Meanwhile, Starmer presented a UK defense spending boost to Trump, in an attempt to reinforce the US-UK alliance on Ukraine’s defense.
