The British prime minister has previously said the US’ ‘backstop’ is crucial for a Ukrainian peace deal — a notion the Trump administration has rejected.
ADVERTISEMENTKeir Starmer will reiterate a shared US and UK commitment to peace in Ukraine as he arrived for talks with Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday.
“The prime minister will reiterate shared US-UK commitment to reaching a durable and lasting peace in Ukraine, and the need for Europe to step up to the challenge,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
Starmer, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, has previously offered to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal as part of European efforts to ensure a lasting peace agreement.
Last week, the British leader insisted that such a deal would require a “US backstop” in order to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.
His position is likely to put him at odds with Trump, who said during his first cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he had no plans to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
“I’m not going to make security guarantees … very much,” Trump said. “We’re going to have Europe do that.”
Trump’s meeting with Starmer comes a day before he is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two men are set sign off on an agreement setting up a joint US-Ukrainian “Reconstruction Investment Fund”, which will collect 50% of revenues from the future monetisation of Ukraine’s natural resources.
Zelenskyy had originally rebuffed such a deal that did not provide specific security guarantees for Ukraine. However, media outlets reported late on Tuesday that the terms of the agreement had been reached.
Starmer is also expected to call for for Europe to hike their defence budgets after critical comments from Trump that US allies were spending too little.
On Tuesday, he announced the UK would boost military spending to 2.5% of its gross domestic product by 2027 with the aim of reaching 3% by 2025.
The increase is being funded by cuts to the UK’s foreign aid budget — a move which has angered Labour MPs and international development charities.
In addition to the war in Ukraine, Starmer and Trump are expected to discuss artificial intelligence, with Downing Street saying it wanted “further integration” between the two countries’ technology sectors.
