Sir Keir Starmer prepared for a charm offensive on Donald Trump as he dodged criticism of the President – and gained plaudits from top Republicans.
The Prime Minister will fly to Washington on Wednesday, where he will meet Trump at the White House on Thursday for the two leaders’ first face-to-face talks since the US election.
He has pledged to push the case that Ukraine must be directly involved in negotiations about how to end the war, started by Russia‘s invasion three years ago.
But the Prime Minister also signalled that he will stop short of a direct confrontation with the President over the issue, telling reporters on Tuesday that the relationship between Britain and America is “our most important alliance”.
The past fortnight has seen growing differences between the US and its European allies emerge, with Trump inviting president Vladimir Putin for talks on a Ukraine peace deal, accusing Kyiv of starting the war and calling Zelensky a “dictator without elections”.
For the first time ever, Washington sided with Russia and against most of Nato in a United Nations vote on Monday which condemned Moscow’s aggression.
But in a sign that the UK Government may still be able to build relations with the Trump administration, the US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, welcomed the announcement yesterday that Britain’s defence spending will rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027.
He described the move as “a strong step from an enduring partner”. John Healey, the Defence Secretary, called Hegseth immediately after the budget announcement in a bid to secure his endorsement, The i Paper understands.
The Prime Minister suggested Trump’s return to the White House may have contributed to the increase in the defence budget, saying in a press conference that the last few weeks since Trump’s inauguration had “accelerated” that decision.
Starmer also repeatedly declined to criticise Trump’s position on Ukraine as he emphasised the importance of remaining close to the US.
He said: “This is not about a choice between the US or Europe. That would be a historic mistake. This country has always been a key ally of the US and a keen ally with our European partners, and it’s important we continue to do so. The US is our most important alliance – on Nato, on our nuclear capabilities, on Aukus, and so much more that we do together.”
Asked for his response to the UN vote in which the US sided with Russia rather than most Western allies, the Prime Minister replied: “We voted in the way we voted last night and so the record of the United Kingdom Government is clear in relation to our position on Ukraine, and I have said repeatedly that our support for Ukraine is unwavering.
“We will support them for as long as it’s necessary because this is about the sovereignty of Ukraine, it’s about the freedom and security of Europe and of our own country.
“I will go to see President Trump. I’ve already met him in September of last year. I’ve had a number of conversations with him, in order to ensure we can take the relationship between our two countries from strength to strength to make sure we can meet the challenges of the world. For me, that is far more important than commenting on individual resolutions at the UN, notwithstanding the context that inevitably creates.”
Key allies of Starmer including Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Peter Mandelson, the new British ambassador to Washington, have in the past been fiercely critical of Trump.
But since he became the Republican candidate again last year, senior Labour figures have avoided being publicly rude about Trump in a bid to avoid a backlash at a sensitive time in world politics.
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