Five key takeaways from the Trump-Starmer news conferencepublished at 21:39 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February
Trump is right that Europe must 'step up', says Starmer
The leaders' news conference that just concluded in the East Room of the White House covered a wide range of different topics.
We've summarised the five key moments:
- On Ukraine: Donald Trump said peace in the country will come "fairly soon" or not "at all" and that "progress towards peace" will continue when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the White House tomorrow. He also praised Ukrainians' bravery
- On Gaza: The US president said "we're working very hard" towards a lasting ceasefire, while Keir Starmer said "everything" must be done to ensure the ceasefire continues. He also reiterated the UK's long-held position that a two-state solution is the "only way" for lasting peace in the region
- On defence spending: The US president praised the UK's hike in defence spending to 2.5% of the national income by 2027 - it's something Trump has long pushed his allies to commit to. Starmer, meanwhile, said Trump was right that Europe must "step up" on this front
- Onthe special relationship: The leaders struck a friendly tone with one another. Trump started his speech with a nod to the "special relationship" between the two countries, something Starmer says "matters more than ever"
- On a potential US-UK trade deal: This could be reached "fairly quickly", according to the US president. He later added that Starmer has been "working hard" to prevent the US from imposing tariffs on UK goods, something that Trump said he thinks won't be necessary
Trump praises Ukrainians' bravery before Zelensky meeting