UK PM's White House diplomacy meets Trump’s cold shoulder on Ukraine support

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first visit to the White House on February 27 involved a series of diplomatic gestures designed to flatter US President Donald Trump. Despite the warm reception and praise from Starmer, Trump remained noncommittal on the central issue of the visit: Ukraine. 

Starmer, acutely aware of Trump’s previous reluctance to provide “security guarantees” for Ukraine, sought a more modest commitment — a US backstop to European efforts aimed at deterring future Russian aggression. However, Trump was clear in his response, saying, “I don’t think so... when we have a deal, it’s going to be the deal,” Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

This remark, delivered alongside Starmer in the Oval Office, set the tone for the meeting, signaling a sobering reality for European allies who had hoped for more robust US support for Ukraine. The standoff between the two leaders also foreshadowed the challenges Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would face in securing a more favorable US stance when he visited the White House the following day.

Trump was equally dismissive of questions regarding US actions to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting that economic agreements with Ukraine would suffice in the face of potential Russian threats. "It’s a backstop, you could say," Trump said of a potential minerals deal with Ukraine, further co-opting Starmer’s language. Trump appeared confident that such a deal, along with the presence of US workers, would be enough to deter any future Russian advances.

Perhaps most concerning for NATO allies, however, were Trump’s remarks regarding military commitments in the event of an attack on British troops in Ukraine. “They don’t need much help. They can take care of themselves very well,” Trump asserted, before adding, “But if they need help, I’ll always be with the British, okay? I will always be with them. But they don’t need help.”

When pressed by a reporter at the press conference on whether he supports Article V of the NATO charter, which stipulates that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all, Trump’s response left uncertainty hanging in the air, further unsettling Europe about US military commitments within the alliance.

As Starmer’s visit drew to a close, it became evident that despite the diplomatic gifts and mutual admiration, the visit had not succeeded in securing the military assurances that many European allies, including the UK, were hoping for from the US.

By Vafa Guliyeva