Keir Starmer will meet US president Donald Trump next week, No 10 has confirmed.
The confirmation came as the prime minister called on European allies to “step up” when it comes to both defensive capabilities and increasing defence spending
Asked on Monday morning about comments made by US vice-president JD Vance on free speech in the UK, the prime minister’s spokesperson said: “There’s going to be a wide range of issues that we’ll be working with the new US administration on.
“The prime minister looks forward to meeting president Trump shortly to discuss how we can deepen the special relationship across trade, investment and security.”
They added: “The prime minister will travel to Washington DC next week.”
Also speaking on Monday, Starmer told broadcasters that Europe must be committed to “playing our full part when it comes to the defence of the sovereignty of Ukraine if there’s a peace agreement, and, of course, when it comes to funding and training”.
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The UK government has committed to spending 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence, but it has not yet set out a timeline for doing so.
The prime minister said: “We are going through a strategic review of defence at the moment, which is looking at the challenges and the capability, and then we’ll set out that path.
“Part of my message to our European allies is that we’ve all got to step up on both capability and on spending and funding. Now, that includes the UK, which is why I’ve made that commitment to spend more.”
Starmer has also declared he is prepared to put “our own troops on the ground if necessary” in Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia.
Ahead of an “emergency meeting” of European leaders, the prime minister said he was “ready and willing” to send British troops as part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the prime minister said the UK was “ready to play a leading role” in Ukraine’s defence and security, by committing £3 billion a year until 2030.
The article was published as Emmanuel Macron prepares to rally European leaders at a hastily arranged summit in Paris to discuss the next steps for Ukraine.
The summit will take place as the US sends senior officials to Saudi Arabia for peace talks with Russia — which representatives from Europe have not been invited to.
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.
Source: Politics
