Kate Whannel
Political reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Let's bring you a bit more now on something Trump and Starmer discussed yesterday - UK-US trade.

The US president said a deal between the two nations could happen "very quickly" and that he envisaged "a real trade deal", which could see the UK avoid the kind of tariffs the president has been threatening on some of the US's other trading partners.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs - import taxes - on many of its allies, including 25% on goods made in the European Union. He also ordered a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US - which could hit the UK.

Asked if Starmer had tried to dissuade the president from ordering tariffs against the UK, Trump said: "He tried. He was working hard I tell you that. He earned whatever the hell they pay him over there."

In a bid to convince the president against UK tariffs, Starmer said the US-UK trade relationship was "fair, balanced and reciprocal".

• For context: Trump has said he will impose tariffs on many of the US' allies, including a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US. He previously told the BBC the UK was "out of line", but suggested a solution could be "worked out".

Image source, Reuters

In case you missed how UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's first visit to the White House played out, here are the key moments from his meeting with US President Donald Trump:

• Letter from the King: Trump accepted an "unprecedented" invitation from King Charles III for a second state visit, adding that it would be his "honour" to visit the "fantastic country"
• On Ukraine: Speaking to reporters ahead of today's meeting with Zelensky, Trump said he thinks a ceasefire agreement will be agreed "soon" or "won't be at all". He also suggested a minerals deal with Ukraine would deter future Russian attacks on the country - but that deal is yet still to be agreed
• "Did I say that?": Trump walked back on his recent comments referring to the Ukrainian President as a "dictator". When asked by the BBC's Chris Mason about his use of the word to describe Zelensky, he replied: "Did I say that? I can't believe I would say that"
• A "tough negotiator": At the start of their joint news conference, Trump called Starmer "a very tough negotiator", adding that he "earned whatever the hell they pay him over there". On whether the UK Prime Minister had convinced his counterpart not to impose trade tariffs on the UK, Trump added "he tried"
• Chagos Islands deal?: Trump said he was "inclined to go along with" the UK's Chagos Islands deal. During the meeting, Trump said he had a "feeling" the deal was going to "work out very well"

Keir Starmer's US trip was seen as a big moment for the UK prime minister, as he sought to influence Donald Trump's decisions on a range of topics - primarily Ukraine.

We'll take you through their talks, in a nutshell, in our next post.

As is customary on these visits, the day began with a handshake and ended with a news conference.

Here are a few visuals of those moments and some in between:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Tom Bateman
BBC News, State Department correspondent

President Trump has rewritten Washington’s relationship with Ukraine over the last fortnight, starting direct bilateral talks with Russia, and applying intense pressure on Zelensky.

At the White House the Ukrainian leader is likely to sign a framework agreement with Trump that is said to give the US access to future revenues from state-owned mineral and fossil fuel resources in Ukraine, including oil and gas - as part of a jointly controlled fund which in part would help pay for reconstruction.

Trump has said the deal is about the US getting its money back from three years of military assistance to Ukraine.

But crucially it is not believed to offer any US security guarantees, a core demand of Zelensky.

President Trump made clear at the White House yesterday his hurry to reach a ceasefire; but its terms so far remain seemingly unobtainable, with Moscow empowered by the end of its isolation by the US refusing to contemplate any Western forces securing a future truce in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for any deal to include a firm security guarantee from the US although he said Wednesday that no such guarantee had been offered yet.

Asked by the BBC if he would be prepared to walk away from the agreement if Donald Trump did not offer the guarantees he wanted, Zelensky said: "If we don't get security guarantees, we won't have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing."

Trump repeatedly said that the US would not provide security guarantees "beyond... very much", saying responsibility for this fell to Europe. But he added that the presence of American workers on Ukrainian soil would provide "automatic security".

In a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday, Trump said he's "open to many things", but that he first wants to get Russia and Ukraine to agree a deal before being drawn on what security measures would be in place to enforce it.

Image source, Getty Images

Key details about the deal Trump and Zelensky are poised to sign today have not yet been made public.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the preliminary agreement envisages the creation of an "investment fund" for Ukraine's reconstruction.

Kyiv and Washington would manage the fund on "equal terms", Shmyhal said, with Ukraine contributing 50% of future proceeds from state-owned mineral resources, oil and gas, and the fund would then invest in projects in Ukraine itself.

Zelensky acknowledged the fund but told the BBC it was "too early to talk about money".

The New York Times reported, citing a draft document, that the US would own the maximum amount of the fund allowed under US law, but not necessarily all of it.

The US had initially requested $500bn (£395bn) in mineral wealth from Ukraine, a demand which Kyiv rejected, but this was later dropped, according to recent media reports.

Zelensky has also been pushing for the deal to include a firm security guarantee from the US but Trump yesterday suggested the agreement would itself serve as a backstop.

Image source, Reuters

Welcome back to our live coverage as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington DC, where he arrived late last night.

Zelensky is hoping to gain some kind of security guarantees that would underpin any peace deal that may be negotiated with Russia. He is also expected to sign a deal that will give the US access to Ukraine's rare earth mineral resources.

Trump suggests that US mining in Ukraine would deter future Russian attacks. He also walked back on labelling Zelensky a "dictator", saying he could not believe he said this and describing the Ukrainian leader as "very brave".

Their meeting comes a day after Trump met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. After his talks with the PM, the US president predicted a "very good meeting" with Zelensky later today.

Our correspondents in the US and writers in London will be keeping you up to date with the meeting between the two world leaders - due to take place this afternoon. Stay with us.

Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

A letter from King Charles immediately set a warm tone to discussions between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump at the White House today, with the pair seemingly heading towards agreements on a number of issues.

Trump joked that Starmer had "worked hard" over lunch to try and convince him not to implement tariffs on the UK, before saying that he envisages a trade deal with the UK without the threat of tariffs attached.

On Ukraine, the US president told reporters that he thinks a ceasefire agreement with Russia will be agreed "soon" or "won't be at all".

Peace in Gaza was also on the agenda, and the pair agreed that a deal for long lasting peace can be the only solution in the region.

Starmer pledged to boost defence spending just before heading across the Atlantic, and he earned praise from Trump for it.

On the Chagos Islands deal, Trump suggested he is "inclined to go along with" it should the UK present a plan to him.

Tomorrow, it's Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's turn to visit the White House.

He's in Washington to sign a minerals deal. Trump appeared to set the tone for friendlier discussions after rowing back on an earlier declaration that Zelensky is a "dictator".

We're closing our coverage for tonight, but we'll be back to cover Zelensky's trip in full. In the meantime, here's some reading to cast your eye over:

• All the key takeaways from Starmer's talks with Trump are detailed here
• Read North America editor Sarah Smith's analysis on today's meeting
• And there's some background on tomorrow's minerals deal meeting in our explainer

A warm meeting between world leaders, but potential for division remainspublished at 23:57 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

23:57 GMT 27 February

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, Getty Images

It was an extraordinary couple of hours.

The prime minister will leave Washington tonight relieved. His team acknowledged that they had prepared hard for today, but didn't have the faintest idea how it might go.

They do seem to have established an unlikely warmth and connection between the two leaders. There weren't any flashpoints, or excruciating moments that are always possible when you're here with President Trump. And of course there will be that big state visit to come.

On Ukraine though, we see still the potential for division.

The president saying that he thinks that there is already something amounting to a backstop, because there will be an American presence in Ukraine as part of this minerals deal that is due to be signed tomorrow.

But it doesn't look certain yet that Britain and Europe are necessarily convinced that will amount to enough.

Tomorrow's focus is on Ukraine's mineral dealpublished at 23:52 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

23:52 GMT 27 February

Sarah Smith
North America editor

President Donald Trump seems convinced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is coming here tomorrow in order to sign the minerals deal with the US.

For Ukraine, that is pretty much the price of admission to be able to join the talks.

We know that Zelensky had first tried to insist there would be security guarantees for Ukraine in that agreement, to back up any future ceasefire or peace deal. That is not going to happen.

You heard President Trump say earlier that the simple fact that there is a deal - one that would bring American companies to work and invest in Ukraine - should be a security backstop in itself.

Ukraine will not agree with that, and clearly Keir Starmer doesn't either. That, however, will be a matter for further talks.

The talks tomorrow will focus on looking ahead, beyond this minerals agreement to what a ceasefire or peace deal could look like. On that, Ukraine and the US do remain fairly far apart.

But it marks Zelensky's opportunity, for the first time, to talk to Trump about it face-to-face.

What might be included in an economic deal?published at 23:47 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

23:47 GMT 27 February

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

No 10 and No 11 will be delighted about these words about a potential trade deal avoiding tariffs.

But I was struck by the use of the term "economic deal" by the prime minister.

That means it's not quite the same kind of deal we were discussing after Brexit - that would have been a free trade agreement - instead, it's about avoiding extra tariffs.

That's a good thing, but it's different to some of what we've been discussing in the past.

And there is a bigger issue here, even if we avoid direct tariffs - and that's still an if - there is still the potential for a globalised tariff war that's still going to affect a global economy like the UK.

When it comes to a trade deal, the devil will be in the detailpublished at 23:37 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

23:37 GMT 27 February

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent

The good news for Keir Starmer is that he emerged from this moment under the microscope able to say he achieved some real positives.

Job one was to start to build a rapport with a president who can be capricious, contemptuous even of those he doesn’t respect, but who has the power to make decisions that are vital to the UK.

There were mutual slaps on the shoulder, lots of talk about shared history and ties, and the theatrical flourish of the letter from the King and a historic invitation for a second state visit.

Flattery works. Job one done.

Job two was to get President Trump to reaffirm that most critical of things, the US commitment to the collective promise Nato countries make to defend each other.

"I support it," Trump said after the men had had their lunch. Job two, reassured - for now.

And President Trump also indicated he’s inclined to think the UK’s deal to secure the airbase on the Chagos Islands is a good thing. That would be a big win for Starmer. It also leaves Nigel Farage looking out of touch. He’s claimed the White House had "outright hostility" to the deal.

But job three is where things get more ambiguous. Trump is happily slapping tariffs on nations left, right and centre. Could Keir Starmer talk his way out of them? "He tried," Trump said. So they could still happen.

Trump talked about a possible "trade deal". But there’s long been talk of that. The devil is in the detail, and what the US might ask the UK to give up. Starmer only spoke about an "economic partnership" based on AI. That’s much more limited.

And finally job four, Ukraine. Here, little has changed. Yes, Trump declined to say again that Ukraine’s President is a dictator. Yes, he praised Ukraine, saying helping defend it was a “worthy thing to do” and he’d try to see it get territory back.

But, and it’s a really big but, Trump thinks he can trust Vladimir Putin. So he won’t provide security guarantees to Ukraine, or even to British troops if they are sent there.

So here, on the issue of the day, the gulf with the UK and Europe is as deep as ever. The letter from the King hasn’t changed that.

More now from the Fox News interview that just aired in the US with Starmer, where he was asked to respond to some remarks from US Vice-President JD Vance.

Vance had earlier accused the UK of “infringements” on free speech

Starmer said he and Vance had a good meeting in the White House today and had an exchange about free speech.

"We champion free speech in the United Kingdom, and in relation to the measures that we've taken, obviously, we're very mindful that it shouldn't have an impact on US citizens," Starmer told Fox.

"We don't believe in censoring speech, but of course we need to deal with terrorism, we need to deal with paedophiles and issues like that."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been speaking to the US conservative outlet Fox News, where he went over some of the details of his discussions with President Trump about the war in Ukraine.

Starmer says a peace deal must be long-lasting, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin must not break the agreement.

Reporter Bret Baier asked if Starmer had any concern about Putin living up to his end of a deal.

The PM says this was a concern, because "historically, that has been the case" with the Russian leader.

Starmer adds that Europe and the UK need to "come together" to defend any deal that's reached - and do more to help. He notes that he's already announced plans to increase UK military spending.

Will Europe get its money back from Ukraine?published at 23:04 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

23:04 GMT 27 February

By Nick Eardley

On aid to Ukraine, President Trump made this distinction between Europe and the US: “They get their money back… we don’t get the money back.”

Sir Keir Starmer interjected – just as President Macron did on the same point earlier in the week - saying, “quite a bit of ours was gifted”.

In reality, most countries – including the UK - have provided a mixture of grants and loans.

The Kiel institute, which tracks funding into Ukraine, says the US has provided more grants, while the EU has provided more loans.

Many of the loans are on preferential terms, so will cost Ukraine less to repay than a normal loan.

• Read more: How much has the US given to Ukraine?

Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has told the BBC that Keir Starmer’s press conference with Donald Trump was “as good as Keir Starmer could possibly have expected”.

Speaking to Jane Hill on The World Tonight, Straw pointed to some "unexpectedly good takeaways, not least on the Chagos Islands… Trump intimated it was likely to be seen as a good deal by the United States".

Asked if the talk of a trade deal was a win for the PM, Straw said: “Yes, it is…it depends what’s in the trade deal… but this is far better than anyone expected."

Asked if he was surprised at the idea of a trade deal and whether Trump may have been speaking off the cuff, Straw replied: “I’d have thought that with something as large and important as a trade deal, that would have been on the list of talking points for President Trump, without any question, so I’d be astonished if it had not been discussed across the table with Sir Keir.”

Image source, EPA

Next to shake hands with Donald Trump at the White House is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He'll be travelling there Friday to thrash out the terms of a deal to give the US access to rare minerals in Ukraine.

Conversations between the two leaders have been combative since Trump called the Ukrainian president "a dictator" - though he rowed back on that language today.

The minerals deal would mean the US is granted access to parts of Ukrainian land to mine its minerals - Trump says this is crucial for the US to recoup funds it has given to Ukraine's war effort, but Zelensky said he rejected US demands for $500bn in mineral wealth.

Zelensky has also been insistent that the US provides security guarantees as part of any agreement, but Trump says this should be a European effort.

• Read more: Zelensky to meet Trump in Washington to sign minerals deal

How much do Nato members spend on defence?published at 22:03 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

22:03 GMT 27 February

By Anthony Reuben

Image source, Reuters

A little earlier, President Trump said Ukraine “shows exactly why it is so important for the United Kingdom and other Nato partners to make large investments in their defence capabilities, in many cases 4% or 5% of GDP would be appropriate".

The highest spender in the military alliance last year was Poland, which spent 4.1% of GDP, but no other country spent more than 4%. The US spent 3.4% of GDP.

The UK spent 2.3% on defence last year and this will rise to 2.5% by 2027.

Going to 5% of GDP, though, would add about an extra £77bn a year.

That’s more than the current budgets of the Home Office, Justice Department, the local government department and the transport and environment departments combined.

• Read more about how much Nato members spend here

A cordial news conference, but no fireworkspublished at 21:50 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

21:50 GMT 27 February

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

The joint news conference between Starmer and Trump ended a short while ago, with little in the way of fireworks between the two.

It had a much more diplomatic and matter-of-fact tone than this morning's session in the Oval Office, with both leaders standing at their respective lecterns and going to considerable lengths to lavish praise on the other, despite their political differences.

Trump, for example, praised Starmer’s negotiation skills – which he said he doesn’t like – and his accent, jokingly saying that he’d have been president 20 years ago if he'd had the same.

At one point, Starmer was asked about Trump’s controversial call to make Canada – a member of the Commonwealth – the 51st state of the US.

“I think you’re trying to find a divide that doesn’t exist,” Starmer replied.

Trump interjected quickly with the words “that’s enough” before moving on – again taking control of the room.

While the comment was directed at a journalist from the Independent, the look of surprise was clearly visible on Starmer's face.