WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Trump dodges plea from Britain's Starmer for Ukraine security guarantee

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a minerals deal with Ukraine is the security guarantee Kyiv needs against Russia, brushing aside a plea from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a commitment of U.S. military support.

Starmer, who was meeting Trump at the White House for the first time since the U.S. leader took office, turned on the charm, saying peace in Ukraine had only become possible because of Trump.

Starmer also delivered an invitation from King Charles for a future state visit, which Trump accepted.

But underlying differences between the allies remained, including transatlantic frictions over U.S.-Russia talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war and Trump's tariff threats.

Before the meeting, Starmer had said there could be no long-term peace in Ukraine without firm U.S. security guarantees - an argument Trump all but dismissed.

"We are a backstop because we'll be over there, we'll be working," as a result of the economic partnership, Trump said. "We're going to have a lot of people over there."

Asked whether he could trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said, "trust and verify," echoing former U.S. President Ronald Reagan's views on negotiations with the Soviet Union.

He said he did not think Putin, who organized invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022, would do so again after a deal. Talks toward such a compact were moving briskly, he said.

"It will either be fairly soon, or it won't be at all," Trump said.

Starmer said not just any deal would do, underscoring the concern among European nations that a rushed peace deal with Russia might lead to further instability in Europe.

"We have to get it right," he said at a joint press conference with Trump. "It can't be peace that rewards the aggressor."

SHOCKING ALLIES

Starmer is the latest European leader to meet Trump after French President Emmanuel Macron came to the White House on Monday for a friendly encounter that also displayed stark differences about Russia's war with Ukraine.

Trump, who entered office on January 20, has shocked traditional U.S. allies in Europe by drawing closer to Putin, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a "dictator," and demanding payback for U.S. financial support for Kyiv. On Thursday, Trump distanced himself from the dictator comment and said he gets along with the Ukrainian leader.

Zelenskiy is expected to be in Washington on Friday to sign a deal with Trump on rare earth minerals. Trump portrays the deal as a way to recoup American money that has been spent to support Ukraine. It includes no security guarantees for Kyiv.

Starmer has signaled that Britain will increase defense spending and tried to reassure the U.S. president that Europe will provide support and security guarantees to Kyiv if peace talks with Russia are successful.

On Thursday, Trump reaffirmed the United States' long commitments to the mutual defense of NATO nations even if European peacekeepers end up in Ukraine, saying "I support it. I don't think we're going to have any reason for it."

Putin on Thursday warned "Western elites" against trying to sabotagerapprochement between Russia and the U.S., saying Moscow would use its diplomats and intelligence services to thwart such efforts. The remarks were an apparent reference to the European Union and Britain.

Starmer has said he is open to British troops providing security guarantees to Ukraine but only alongside other European nations and with "the right conditions in place."

European countries are concerned about the high level of conflict in Ukraine now, the U.S. official said, while a ceasefire based on a strong political settlement would give them more comfort that their role is more about peacekeeping than deterring active conflict.

TRADE TALKS

Trump has shattered policy norms since the start of his second term, rattling allies by advocating for U.S. ownership of the Gaza Strip and promising trade tariffs on U.S. friends and foes alike.

During the joint press conference, Trump said the U.S. and Britain were negotiating a bilateral trade agreement.

A wide-ranging free trade deal has eluded the countries since Trump's 2017-2021 term in office, but the U.S. president said the two countries could reach a deal "very shortly."

Asked by a reporter whether Starmer had convinced him to abandon threats to impose tariffs on Britain, Trump said, "He tried. He was working hard, I'll tell you that."

"We could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn't be necessary," Trump said. "We'll see."

At the start of the visit, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the leaders also were discussing what he described as "infringements on free speech" in Britain that have affected U.S. technology companies.

"We've had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom," Starmer responded.

The British leader took care not to be drawn into any criticism of Trump. The U.S. president also dished out compliments.

"You're a very tough negotiator," Trump said, drawing laughter from Starmer. "I'm not sure I like that."

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Trump extends Russia sanctions for another year

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending for another year certain sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict, according to documents released by the White House on Thursday.

Initially imposed in 2014 following Crimea’s reunification with Russia, the measures have been expanded through multiple executive orders and are now extended for another year through March 6, 2026.

“The actions and policies addressed in these Executive Orders continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” the document published in the Federal Register states.

“Therefore … I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660,” Trump stated.

The document also references a 2022 order signed by then-President Joe Biden, which prolonged sanctions in response to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics joining Russia. That order claimed the development “threatens the peace, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and thereby constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.” 

Four formerly Ukrainian regions – the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, Kherson Region, and Zaporozhye Region – joined Russia following a series of referendums in 2022. Crimea had previously voted to join Russia in 2014. Ukraine continues to claim its sovereignty over the regions.

Trump recently suggested that Kiev might reclaim some of the lost territory, but added that a return to pre-2014 borders is “unlikely.” He also signaled that Washington could lift sanctions against Russia “at some point” as part of Ukraine peace negotiations.

On Wednesday, the US president said he wanted Ukraine to regain as much territory “as possible” under a potential peace deal with Russia. He claimed that Moscow would have to make concessions, but emphasized that any agreement should ultimately represent the best possible outcome for both parties.

Moscow and Washington are currently engaged in negotiations following a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month and subsequent high-level talks between Russian and US delegations in Saudi Arabia.

In June, Putin outlined his conditions for peace negotiations with Kiev, which involves the complete removal of Ukrainian troops from all Russian territories, including the four former Ukrainian regions that joined Russia in 2022. He also demanded that Ukraine legally commit to never joining NATO or any other Western military blocs.

Russia has repeatedly argued that the Ukraine conflict was provoked by NATO’s expansion toward its borders.

Reuters/RT