“KEIR Starmer and Donald Trump will go head-to-head today for the first time as the PM tries to rally support for Ukraine. The Labour leader has crossed the Atlantic as the world awaits to see if the US will pull the plug on their support for Kyiv. Trump has upended US policy on the Ukraine”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
The Labour leader has crossed the Atlantic as the world awaits to see if the US will pull the plug on their support for Kyiv.
Trump has upended US policy on the Ukraine war – branding Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” and bringing Russia in from the cold.
The US has been accused of excluding Ukraine and Europe from talks – with Trump’s team meeting with Vladimir Putin’s officials in Saudi Arabia.
Starmer will attempt to shore up US support as Europe faces the possibility of standing alone against Russia.
The PM will be the sixth leader to visit the White House since Trump became President.
He will argue that both Kyiv and Europe must have seats at the negotiating table in any effort to end Putin’s three-year war in Ukraine.
Follow our live blog below for the latest news and updates…
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The Sun’s advice to Starmer ahead of Trump visitDouglas MacKinnon has given several pieces of insight into how the UK PM can deal with Trump who is known as a notoriously tricky customer.
His first bit of advice would be not to worry about winning the “handshake war” when he meets him at the White House.
Next, before you broach any diplomatic or international relations issues, you have some fences to mend with Trump.
Three which come to mind are these: First, you allow approximately one hundred members of the Labour Party to fly to the United States to actively campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris.
In case no one on your team told you, that really angered the President.
He and his team referred to it as “foreign election interference.”
Next, we have Labour’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy once shockingly labelling Trump a “neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath.”
Blame it all on bad curry, a total eclipse of the Sun, or the far-left all-in-one excuse/accusation of “Russian interference,” but acknowledge it all to be regrettable mistakes and then move on instantly to common ground.
Before you walk into the Oval Office, have several at your mental fingertips ready to discuss.
Read MacKinnon’s final few tips here.
Credit: Getty
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Brit Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson welcomes Starmer Peter Mandelson has welcomed Keir Starmer and David Lammy to Washington ahead of the PM’s crucial meeting with Trump later today.
Welcoming the political pair on stage, he said: “We are living through a very, very significant moment for our lives, between our two countries and indeed for all the freedom loving democracies in the world.
“The US and the United Kingdom, we basically share everything together.
“We share people, we share cultures, we share a lot of intelligence, we share technologies, and we also share some of the fighting of our adversaries as well.
“And of course one thing we don’t need to fight over is trade, because we have this fantastically fair and balanced trade relationship when we reciprocate so much, that’s just a little thing for you to remember in the coming weeks.”
“But I tell you what we’ve also got at this time and that is an era of great possibility for us, for both our countries in what we can do together.”
Starmer added: “I’ve only just arrived but already I can feel there’s real buzz around Washington right now.
“You can sense that there’s a new leader. He’s a true one-off, a pioneer in business, in politics. Many people love him. Others love to hate him.
“We want to strike to a new partnership, we share the view that our best days lie ahead.
“And, you know, taking out a chainsaw isn’t quite my style, but we are stripping away red tape and bureaucracy.”
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Macron and Starmer join effortsMacron and Starmer are both leading the way in trying to urge Washington to listen to all parties involved in a truce including – Europe and Ukraine – after recent US-Russia only talks.
Macron stood side-by-side with Trump in the White House on Monday to discuss the war.
It was the first meeting between the Republican and a European leader since Trump re-entered office in January.
Speaking together at a podium, Macron said peace “must not be a surrender of Ukraine” as he also called on Europeans to do more to protect the Continent.
Trump made a stern warning that any overspill outside of Ukraine’s borders could have a devastating outcome if a peace deal isn’t secured soon.
Meanwhile Macron echoed Trump’s words but made it clear that Ukraine’s future should be prioritised and that the US and Europe need to “shoulder” responsibilities.
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Zelensky’s hopes for security guaranteesVOLODYMYR Zelensky has confirmed he will meet Donald Trump in Washington to sign a historic minerals deal with the US.
The deal – said to be worth up to $500billion – is seen as a way for Ukraine to get the US back on its side ahead of talks on ending the war with Russia.
Zelensky today said that the proposed deal was a starting point for a wider agreement, as Kyiv hopes for eventual security guarantees from Washington.
He said: “This is just a start, a framework, it can be a big success. I would like to have this visit very much.
“The success will depend on our conversation with President Trump.”
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Royal hospitalityDonald Trump will be invited to stay with the King at Balmoral when the PM visits him in Washington today.
The unprecedented invitation to a second state visit to the United Kingdom for the US President will be the “jewel in the crown” of Sir Keir Starmer’s efforts to woo the new White House.
A senior government source told The Sun “Balmoral would be the obvious choice” for the the Don due to his Scottish heritage and two golf courses north of the border.
Political and royal sources say the move would be a unique offer to President Trump who has already been hosted at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, with the King’s London residence undergoing major renovations throughout this year.
The Aberdeenshire castle where monarch’s traditionally spend the summer, plays host to the PM every year, with only one previous US President understood to have visited.
Dwight D. Eisenhower made an informal stop over to see the late Queen Elizabeth in August 1959 alongside ex-PM Harold MacMillan.
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Keir hikes defence spendingSIR Keir Starmer has vowed to pump an extra £13 billion into defence, warning “tyrant” Vladimir Putin only responds to strength.
The PM laid out a plan to raise the military budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP within two years – and then to 3 per cent after the next election.
The cash boost will add an additional £13bn a year to armed forces coffers from 2027, according to the PM.
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Keir has spokenWriting exclusively for The Sun on Sunday, the PM urged President Trump to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
He said: “Ukraine must have a voice in negotiations about its future. And it needs strong security guarantees so the peace will last. I believe America must be part of that guarantee. It’s in their interest.
“A peace deal which does not stop Putin from attacking again would be a disaster for everyone.
“The best way to make sure that doesn’t happen is to be firm and fair now.”
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Keir’s emotional appealEarlier this week, Sir Keir Starmer has warned that a bad peace deal would be a “disaster”.
Writing ahead of his crunch trip to Washington, Sir Keir said the US President is right to “grasp the nettle” and try to end the war.
But a good peace “can only be won with strength” and it requires the world to stand up to Vladimir “Putin’s tyranny”, the PM said.
He added that Ukraine must be at the heart of peace negotiations.