European Leaders Visit President Trump As Ukraine Talks Progress

Hagar Chemali, a former National Security Council official and founder of Greenwich Media Strategies, discussed how the US and European allies navigate negotiations with Russia toward a settlement of the war in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump sidestepped questions about providing an American “backstop” to any peacekeeping force in Ukraine, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the White House to press for greater American security guarantees.

Trump made the remarks on Thursday at the start of his first face-to-face meeting with Starmer since retaking office and stunning European allies by opening direct peace talks with Russia. The president said the focus should first be on securing an end to the war that Russia dramatically expanded with its full-scale invasion three years ago.

“I don’t like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal,” Trump said next to Starmer in the Oval Office. “Right now, we don’t have a deal. We have Russia, we have Ukraine.”

Still, the US president appeared to edge away from his earlier description of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who’s due to visit the White House on Friday and approve a deal on critical-mineral sharing, as a “dictator.” “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that — next question,” Trump said.

Trump’s comments highlighted the challenge facing Starmer and other European allies as the UK premier carries out a delicate, last-ditch bid to urge the president to slow his efforts to negotiate an end to war directly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

That rapidly developing initiative has raised alarm in many foreign capitals, intensifying fears the US president may force major concessions on Kyiv that solidify Russia’s military gains, sidelining European allies and rupturing the transatlantic alliance.

Starmer arrived in the Oval Office with a letter from King Charles III inviting the US president to a second state dinner in the UK. The prime minister cast the invitation as “unprecedented” and indicative of the nations’ close relationship, and Trump said he would accept.

The US president also said he was inclined to support the British deal to cede control of the Chagos islands in the Indian Ocean, where the US and UK share a military base.

Still, it wasn’t clear the UK leader could move Trump toward his goal of more security guarantees. Starmer has argued any deal to end Russia’s war would require a US backstop to ensure Ukraine’s security and deter Putin from attacking again. The UK and France have been working on a plan that would include some troops on the ground as well as air defenses to ensure Ukraine’s security — but that arrangement would require US support.

Trump suggested that instead of an explicit security guarantee, Russia might be disinclined from a further attack because of the presence of American workers implementing a deal offering access to Ukraine’s critical minerals.

He went on to stress that he was attempting to broker an agreement between Ukraine and Russia despite the leaders of the countries disliking each other. Asked about worries that Putin might seek to invade Ukraine again after a deal, Trump downplayed that prospect.

“I don’t think so. I think when we have a deal, it’s going to be the deal,” he said. Trump has staked his efforts to cut a deal with Putin on his relationship with his Russian counterpart. Trump during his first term drew scrutiny for his efforts to cultivate close ties with Putin.

“I’ve known him for a long time now and I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word,” Trump said.

--------

Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube

Weekdays 7am-6pm ET

Follow us on X

Subscribe to our Podcasts:

Bloomberg Daybreak

Bloomberg Surveillance

Bloomberg Intelligence

Balance of Power

Bloomberg Businessweek

Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app:

Apple CarPlay

Android Auto

Visit our YouTube channels:

Bloomberg Podcasts

Bloomberg Television

Bloomberg Originals