Trump softens tone but Starmer leaves without Ukraine security pledges

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump took a softer tone on Ukraine truce talks on Thursday (Feb 27) as he hosted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer - but refused to give any firm commitments on the US security guarantees Europe desperately wants.

In an upbeat meeting, the US president handed Starmer a win on a possible trade deal, while the British leader pandered to Trump's love of the royal family with an invitation for a state visit from King Charles III.

Trump, who has alarmed European capitals with his sudden pivot towards Russia, said there had been "a lot of progress" towards a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine and that negotiations were at a crucial stage.

"It'll either be fairly soon or it won't be at all," Trump told a press conference with Starmer.

The mercurial US president played down an earlier rift with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which had compounded fears that Trump would cut out Ukraine from negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I have a lot of respect for him," Trump said of Zelenskyy.

Earlier in the Oval Office he also walked back an earlier jibe that the Ukrainian was a dictator, saying: "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that."

"REWARDS THE AGGRESSOR"

But on the US security "backstop" that Britain and France want in exchange for deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a deal with Russia to end the war, Trump remained non-committal.

The US president said he was "open to many things" in terms of security guarantees but that he wanted to get a Russia-Ukraine deal in place first.

Trump added that he thought Putin would "keep his word" - rejecting Starmer's warnings that a ceasefire without a US backstop would let Russia invade Ukraine again.

It made Starmer the second leader in the space of a week to leave Washington empty-handed on Ukraine, after French President Emmanuel Macron also tried to persuade Trump on Monday.

"We have to win the peace," Starmer said at the joint news conference. "It can't be peace that rewards the aggressor."

But the British premier tried to show that he was willing to step up in Ukraine, as Trump repeatedly urges European nations to do contribute more to their continent's defence.

"I'm clear that the UK is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal," Starmer said.

British officials had earlier called for US support including aerial and satellite intelligence, and air power if necessary.

"TRULY HISTORIC"

Starmer will otherwise be heading home happy from a meeting with Trump, who praised him as a "tough negotiator".

Trump held out the prospect of a "great" post-Brexit trade deal that could help Britain avoid the tariffs he has threatened against other countries at the start of his second term.

"He tried. He was working hard, I'll tell you that," Trump said with a chuckle when asked if the British premier had persuaded him not to impose the levies.

In a carefully choreographed moment in the Oval Office, Starmer also handed Trump a letter from the king inviting him for an unprecedented second state visit by a US president.

"This has never happened before," said Starmer. "This is truly historic."

The US president said he was "honored" and would attend with First Lady Melania Trump.

But on Ukraine, the world will now be carefully watching Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.

The two leaders will sign a huge deal giving Washington exclusive access to Ukraine's rare minerals, which Trump has demanded as payback for US military aid to Kyiv.

"We'll be dig, dig, digging," Trump told reporters.

Zelenskyy had hoped the deal would contain US security guarantees but it appears to omit them.

Ed Owen, a non-resident fellow at Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council, noted that Trump’s language on Ukraine has softened since talks with the European leaders, which could set the stage for Zelenskyy.

“The combined efforts of Macron and Starmer have helped shift some of that position of US and Trump. So, that prepares the ground for Zelenskyy’s visit to the US to sign the minerals deal. That's good news,” he told CNA’s Asia First programme.

He added the US and Europe’s positions on Ukraine still differ, in which Trump is focused on ending the fighting and reaping financial compensation for Washington's aid, while Europe wants long-term guarantees for sustainable and lasting peace. 

“I think Trump thinks that Putin could keep the fighting going on indefinitely, whereas Ukraine, backed by the West, doesn’t have unlimited resource and energy to do (so),” said Owen, who is also a former advisor to the British government. 

“(Trump has) put in a lot of effort into that relationship with Putin to hopefully get, from his perspective, the Russians to give up the fighting.” 

With significant US investment into the development of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, Washington – even after Trump’s term ends – will “not sit idly by (for) those investments to be put under threat from future Russian aggression”, he added. 

Analysts have said that this effectively provides some semblance of US protection for Ukraine.

Talks between US and Russian officials - launched after a shock phone call between Trump and Putin just over weeks ago - are continuing with Ukraine frozen out.

Putin said Thursday the initial talks "give some hope" of resolving "problems" like the Ukraine conflict.

But the Kremlin said giving back Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed during its invasion - which Trump said was possible as part of a future peace deal - was "non-negotiable."