President Trump said on Thursday that he trusted President Vladimir F. Putin from Russia not to violate the conditions of a possible peace agreement with Ukraine, even when he refused to pledge US military support for the peacekeeping force.
“I think he will keep his word,” said Mr. Trump, on the authority of Mr. Putin, as he hosts the Prime Minister of Britain, Kiir Starmer, at the White House.
For Mr. Putin, the president said, “I have known him for a long time now.”
Mr. Trump’s comments confirmed his embrace to Mr. Putin just one day before the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is scheduled to arrive in Washington to end a deal Sharing revenues from metal sources With the United States. Mr. Trump prompted the minerals of Ukraine to compensate for billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid provided by the United States to Ukraine over three years.
In the opening weeks of his presidency, Mr. Trump ended the diplomatic isolation of Russia, accusing Ukraine’s lies of starting the war with Russia and ventilating Mr. Zelinski over and over again, including by describing him as a “dictator”. It appears to change his melody on Thursday, however, expecting the two to have a good meeting.
“I have a lot of respect for him,” said Mr. Trump.
Mr. Starmer was the latest in a series of European leaders who came to Washington in the hope that he would think with Mr. Trump pushing negotiations with the Russians to end the war. Emmanuel Macron, French President, Previously visited this week.
“History should be next to the peacemaker, not the invaders,” said Mr. Starmer, standing next to Mr. Trump in the White House room. The comments were more severe than those made by Mr. Macron and other leaders, who were hesitant even in a skillful return against Mr. Trump when visiting the White House.
“The UK is ready to put shoes on the ground and aircraft in the air to support a deal, and it works closely with our allies,” said Mr. Starmer. “Because this is the only way that peace will continue.”
The British Prime Minister used the visit to present a message from King Charles III to invite Mr. Trump to visit the state, making it the first time that an American president has been presented twice. (Queen Elizabeth II hosted Mr. Trump for a government dinner during his first term.)
After opening the message from the king, Mr. Trump called him “a great noble man.”
But Mr. Starmer’s efforts to push Mr. Trump towards Ukraine – even with the promise to visit the historical state – seem to have not succeeded. Mr. Trump did not refer to the American forces that support the peacekeeping task that included British forces.
The position of Prime Minister towards Mr. Putin cannot be more different from Mr. Trump’s position.
At the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump was asked about what would happen if Britain sent peace forces to Ukraine, only to Russia to decline a peace deal. Will the Americans come to help the British in Ukraine if Russia goes back to the attack again?
Within one minute, Mr. Trump seemed to say no (“they can take care of themselves well”), then yes (“If they need help, I will always be with the British”), before they returned to no (“” They don’t need help “).
“Can Russia take yourself?” Mr. Trump asked Mr. Starmer, with Vice President JD Vance and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio Galasin nearby. Unstable laughter broke out in the room. Ukraine felt the consequences of the weak security agreements before: In December 1994, it abandoned its Soviet nuclear weapons, which was still controlled by Moscow, and the United States, Britain and Russia agreed to respect the current borders of Ukraine.
The agreement proved that it has no value when Russia seized the Crimea in 2014. While the Ukrainian agreement brought support for weapons and intelligence in 2022 at the beginning of the full invasion of Russia, neither Britain nor the United States did not provide forces.
In addition to the diplomatic compliments for today, the two men were expected to hold some difficult talks about the future of Ukraine and whether the peace agreement leads to concessions to Russia.
Mr. Starmer was ready to urge Mr. Trump not to rush to a diplomatic solution to the conflict without making sure that Ukraine is given security guarantees that would prevent Russia from invading again.
But White House officials said Thursday morning before the meeting that discussions about the deal on rare land minerals-which Mr. Trump said that the needs of the United States-do not include these guarantees.
