Trump hosts British prime minister to discuss Ukraine, security

President Donald Trump hosted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Thursday. 

The two leaders held a joint news conference Thursday afternoon at the White House where they addressed the Russia-Ukraine war, tariffs, and security. 

Trump confident Putin will keep his word if Russia-Ukraine deal happens

During their White House meeting, Trump and Starmer answered questions from reporters. Trump said that talks to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine are "very well advanced" and he was confident that Russian leader Vladimir Putin won't try to restart the war if a truce can be reached, the Associated Press reported. 

The president made the comments at the start of a White House meeting with Starmer where Starmer was going to make his case to Trump that American leadership would be essential to maintain peace in Ukraine should the three-year war end.

Trump was then asked by a reporter what he would do if Putin did not stick to the terms of a deal on Ukraine. 

What they're saying:

"I think he’ll keep his word," Trump said of Putin. "I’ve spoken to him, I’ve known him for a long time now, we had to go through the Russian hoax together."

"I don't believe he's going to violate his word. When we make the deal, I think the deal is going to hold. I don't think there will be a problem keeping the deal with security," Trump added.

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"The deal, if we get it, is going to be hugely important, and I don't think it would have happened if the space hadn't been created by yourself (Trump). If it's a deal, we have to make sure it's a deal that lasts, and it's not temporary and that's why we need to make sure that it's secure, and we've leant in said we will play our part, and we will talk about how we work with yourself Mr. President to ensure that this deal is something that isn't violated, because it's very important," Starmer said.

Starmer on Thursday, after private talks with Trump, praised his push to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but said that "it can’t be peace that rewards the aggressor."

"History must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader," Starmer told reporters, with Trump by his side.

Starmer on Thursday extended a state visit invitation to Trump on behalf of King Charles, and Trump accepted. The prime minister said the invitation for a second state visit — Trump already received the honor during his first term — was "historic" and "unprecedented," the Associated Press reported. 

Trump and Starmer White House meeting

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with President Donald Trump to convince him that peace in Ukraine can happen if Kyiv and European leaders are at the table as negotiations continue with Moscow.

FILE-President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a news conference at the White House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Starmer noted that Britain will increase defense spending and is expected to try to assure Trump that Europe will provide support and security guarantees to Kyiv if peace talks with Russia are successful, Reuters reported. 

Dig deeper:

Starmer's trip to the White House, comes a few days after French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron's visit, which the Associated Press reported shows concern from some European leaders that Trump's push for finding an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine implies he may concede too much to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia-Ukraine war latest talks 

The backstory:

The Trump administration held talks last week with Russia without Ukrainian or other European allies represented. The AP reported that the U.S. this week refused to sign on to resolutions at the United Nations blaming Russia for the war, which began three years ago when Moscow invaded.

If a truce does happen, the AP noted that Starmer and Macron have agreed to send troops for a possible peacekeeping mission to Ukraine to make sure that fighting between Ukraine and Russia doesn't occur again.

"We’re going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides," President Donald Trump said on Wednesday as he held the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. "For Ukraine, we’re going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much (land) back as possible."

Trump meeting with Zelenskyy Friday

What's next:

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are meeting at the White House on Friday where they are expected to sign off on a contentious agreement that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine's critical minerals, which are used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries, the Associated Press reported.