UK Prime Minister discusses Russia-Ukraine peace deal in White House visit

By Morgan Sweeney
The Center Square

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the White House Thursday to further discuss the U.S. and Europe’s role in brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Starmer thanked President Donald Trump for the actions he’s taken so far to prepare the way for a peace deal between the two countries, and said the U.K. wants to partner with the U.S. to make it a lasting negotiation.

“Thank you for changing the conversation to bring about the possibility that now we can have a peace deal,” Starmer told Trump. “We want to work with you to make sure that peace deal is enduring, that it lasts, but it’s a deal that goes down as a historic deal that nobody breaches, and we’ll work with you to make sure that absolutely happens.”

But Starmer also, like French President Emmanual Macron, challenged Trump’s assertion that the U.S. has given more aid to Ukraine than any European country and won’t get any of it back, while “Europe’s money is guaranteed.”

“We are not getting all of ours [back.] I mean, quite a bit of ours was gifted. There were some supplements, but mainly it was gifted,” Starmer said.

After Trump and other American leaders met with Russian officials last week in Saudi Arabia to discuss an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S. sided with Russia in voting against a United Nations resolution condemning Russia as the aggressor in the war. The Europe-backed resolution still overwhelmingly passed with only 16 countries voting with Russia and the U.S. 

Macron met with Trump Monday. He acknowledged that Europe needs to continue to play a central role in supporting Ukraine's efforts, while thanking the president for having “substantive conversations” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Like Starmer, Macron voiced his desire to see a long-term, stable peace in Ukraine.

Trump has indicated that he anticipates a peace deal in the near future.