President Donald Trump will welcome United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the White House Thursday as the new administration’s approach to Ukraine has created shock among European allies.
U.S. officials expect discussions on President Trump’s efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, while Starmer is expected to try to convince Trump that Ukraine must be involved in negotiations and recognize Europe’s role in global defense, on the heels of the three-year anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The meeting, sandwiched between visits from French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, comes as European nations look for United States backing for security guarantees and push for Ukraine and European nations to be at the table for any negotiations to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“This is not about a choice between the U.S. or Europe that would be a historic mistake in my view,” Starmer said in a briefing ahead of his trip, characterizing a goal of moving the relationship with the U.S. from “strength to strength.”
Over the last two weeks, President Trump has led a major shift in the United States policy toward the war under his "America First" agenda. United States officials held discussions with Russia without Ukrainian involvement while maintaining communication with with European and Ukrainian officials. Trump ramped up public criticism of Zelenskyy and averted blaming Russia for its invasion.
It has stunned European and Ukrainian allies, according to a former U.S. official. Newer and older allies are now having conversations about what their security looks like without American support, according to another former U.S. official, as well as what force and capability changes they need for fighting in a situation without America.
Both the U.K. and France, large NATO members with modern militaries, have unique relationships with the U.S. and President Trump. The leaders likely want to measure U.S. policy and push back against some statements, according to a former official.
“I think they want to use that as much as possible to convince President Trump not to withdraw completely from Ukraine, not to withdraw completely from Europe,” said Tara Varma, a visiting fellow in the Center of the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution.
President Trump wants to end the war between Russia and Ukraine quickly, and believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants peace.'
“Putin for decades has been trying to separate America from Europe and we have handed that to him in the last couple weeks,” said retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, a former supreme allied commander of NATO and commander of U.S. European Command. “The fact of the matter is Mr. Putin is getting one on one with America which is what he’s wanted from the beginning.”
Administration officials contend in the face of criticism that President Trump is not conceding, but engaging in diplomacy. While President Trump holds discussions with Starmer, Russia’s foreign minister said diplomats from Russia and the United States will be meeting in Istanbul to discuss embassy relations.
While President Trump has clarified that Putin will have to make concessions, he’s ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine, but said peacekeeping “that’s acceptable to everybody” will be needed.
The U.K. and France have indicated a willingness to take part in a peacekeeping force on the ground in Ukraine as part of a peace settlement, but are looking for a backstop from the United States.
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“There has to be U.S. backing, because otherwise I don't think it will deter Putin,” Starmer said earlier in the week.
Russia has rejected the idea of peacekeepers in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said they “cannot consider any options” for it.
President Trump has been noncommittal about the United States role in guarantees.
“I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much we’re gonna have Europe do that. But we’re gonna make sure everything goes well,” he said Wednesday.
President Trump is looking to cement a critical minerals deal with Ukraine, having also indicated an openness to one with Russia, which he suggests could be a deterrent. He expects Zelenskyy to visit the White House on Friday. Administration officials anticipate the meeting will include “the final step” of the economic partnership.
While Ukrainian officials have reportedly said the deal is done, a White House official told Scripps News on Wednesday that the deal is "not done until we say it's done," though the official added the agreement was at "first and goal."
“They get us over there we’re going to working over there we’ll be on the land and you know in that way it’s sort of automatic security because nobody’s going to be messing around with other people when we’re there,” President Trump said.
Trump views the deal as a way to recoup billions of dollars worth of security aid provided to Ukraine that he has long criticized, but Zelenskyy has raised concerns over equating a grant with debt. The aid was approved and allocated through Congress. Trump said the equipment “could go for a while and maybe until we have a deal with Russia” but believes it will be settled quickly.
The economic partnership does not include specific guarantees of funding for future war fighting or commit U.S. personnel to the region, according to a senior administration official.
Conversations about security guarantees are ongoing. Senior administration officials note there are no U.S. boots on the ground, but recognize it's high on allies' agenda as they look at what their defense capabilities provide them.
Officials believe there’s a balance between the size of the force needed and the strength of diplomacy backstopping it. They believe nations have concerns about putting forces in an active war zone, noting the concern may be less with a ceasefire or further with a peace settlement.
“So the type of force depends very much on the political settlement that is made to end the war. And I think that trade off is what the leaders today, part of what the leaders today are going to be discussing,” a senior administration official said.
Some experts in the region, though, believe Putin wants the war to continue and conquer more Ukrainian territory.
“If President Trump is serious about getting a peace deal quickly he has to give Putin major disincentives, and the way to do that is A: to strengthen severely as a threat to economic sanctions on Russia, and B: send major arms to Ukraine so that Russian forces cannot take more Ukraine territory,” said former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, who also serves as director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center.
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Zelenskyy hopes the economic deal is a way for the U.S. to maintain a commitment to Ukraine, according to Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“So far, it looks like the Trump administration wanted to see this as a payback for what I calls past paybacks for Ukraine,” said Fix. “This is not exactly what Ukraine had in mind for Ukraine.”
“I think the fact that basically there’s no quid pro quo for Ukraine in that deal also demonstrates a new kind of art of the deal or way to make deals in the U.S.,” said Varma.
But President Trump contends Europe must shoulder the burden. He’s put public pressure on NATO members to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP.
Ahead of the visit, Starmer announced the U.K. would increase its defense spending, by cutting funding for overseas development in addition to the openness to participation in peacekeeping forces.
“I believe the Europeans are in the process of stepping up to this. America has to be a part of this,” said Breedlove.
“Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, air support, all of those things I think are absolutely important,” he said. “There are things only we can do.”
“We need to be very, very clear and very, very public that we are asking Europeans to go do a job and that we will stand by our commitment to NATO and NATO forces. We need to correct that language from before,” added Breedlove.
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Following Starmer’s visit with Trump, the U.K. is expected to host other European nations for discussions over the weekend.
The prime minister’s office said Starmer will also look to build on AI and advanced technologies, integration between tech sectors and partnership on space while in the United States.
Starmer defines his relationship with President Trump as a positive one. The two previously met last fall.
