Trump says Putin would keep his word on a Ukraine peace deal

Donald Trump has insisted that Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” on a peace deal for Ukraine, arguing that US workers extracting critical minerals in the country would act as a security backstop to deter Russia from invading again.

During highly anticipated talks at the White House with the prime minister, Keir Starmer, the US president said that Putin could be trusted not to breach any agreement, which could aim to return as much of the land as possible to Ukraine that was seized by Russia during the brutal three-year conflict.

But, sitting alongside Starmer in the Oval Office taking questions from journalists, Trump refused to commit to deploying US forces to support a European-led peacekeeping force, although he said the US would “always” help the British military in the unlikely event it needed it.

He later indicated the US would make “great trade agreements” with the UK that could progress “very quickly”, adding that Starmer had tried to persuade him against imposing tariffs, saying: “He earned whatever the hell they pay him over there.”

The US president also appeared to make a significant concession on the Chagos Islands, saying that he was “inclined” to back the deal struck by Starmer, who at the talks delivered a letter from King Charles offering Trump an unprecedented second state visit.

The relationship between the two men appeared convivial for much of the meeting, and Trump praised Starmer as “an outstanding person” and “a very special person”.

The talks came at the most precarious moment for European security in decades, as the new US administration aligns with Russia, breaking a years-long transatlantic consensus on Ukraine.

The prime minister used the meeting, just 24 hours before Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, travels to Washington to sign a critical minerals deal, to push the president on providing security protections for Kyiv in the event of a peace deal being secured to deter Russia from launching another attack.

After their bilateral meeting, Starmer said: “We’ve discussed a plan today to reach a peace that is tough and fair. That Ukraine will help shape. That’s backed by strength to stop Putin coming back for more.

“I’m working closely with other European leaders on this and I’m clear that the UK is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal. Working together with our allies, because that is the only way that peace will last.”

Starmer stressed that any deal had to be one that lasted, and that was why security guarantees were so crucial. But Trump suggested that keeping the peace would be “the easy part” and the difficult bit was getting the deal done.

Trump stopped short of providing a firm commitment on security guarantees, but instead suggested the US having a multibillion dollar stake in Ukraine’s rare earths sector would be enough of a deterrent for Russia.

“We’ll be working there. We’ll have a lot of people working and so, in that sense, it’s very good. It’s a backstop, you could say. I don’t think anybody’s going to play around if we’re there with a lot of workers and having to do with rare earths and other things which we need for our country.”

Asked whether returning territory seized by Russia could play a part in any peace deal for Ukraine, Trump added: “We will certainly try and get as much as we can back.”

The US president appeared to disagree with Starmer’s suggestion that, without a US military backstop, Putin would invade again. “I don’t think so. I think when we have a deal, it’s going to be the deal,” he said.

“I think he’ll keep his word. I’ve known him for a long time now, and I think he will. I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word. I don’t think he’ll be back when we make a deal. I think the deal is going to hold now.”

However, Trump reiterated his support for the Nato principle of collective defence, saying: “I support it. I don’t think we’re gonna have any reason for it. I think we’re going to have a very successful peace.”

He said that the British had an “incredible military” that “don’t need much help” and could “take care of themselves” very well but added that if UK peacekeeping forces came under attack “if they need help, I’ll always be with the British”.

Trump also distanced himself from his previous remarks falsely calling Zelenskyy a dictator. “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that,” he said, before admitting that the relationship between the two men had got a “little testy” over financial support but was now on firmer ground.

In a further sign of a healing relationship between the two, Trump praised Zelenskyy as “very brave” and said he got along with him “really well”.

He added: “We’ve given him a lot of equipment and a lot of money, but they have fought very bravely, no matter how you figure, they have really fought. Somebody has to use that equipment and they have been very brave in that sense.”

A trade deal between the UK and the US, centring on technology, is also on the cards, although British officials suggested this might require further deregulation. Trump did not rule out imposing tariffs on the UK but said he had a “warm spot” for the country, which was in a very different place” from the EU, highlighting his own investments in Scotland.

He added that Starmer had tried to persuade him not to introduce tariffs as the two countries had a balanced trading relationship. “We have a very good chance of arriving at a trade deal that could be really terrific for both countries.”

In the only slightly terse exchange of the Oval Office session, Starmer pushed back against JD Vance, Trump’s vice-president, after Vance repeated some of his criticisms of a supposed lack of free speech in European countries.

Asked about this, Vance talked of “infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British – of course what the British do in their own country is up to them – but also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens, so that is something that we’ll talk about today at lunch.”

Starmer replied immediately: “Well, we’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom and it will last for a very, very long time. Certainly, we wouldn’t want to reach across US citizens, and we don’t, and that’s absolutely right, but in relation to free speech in the UK I’m very proud of our history there.”