The bust of British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill is now back in rightful place in the Oval Office, Trump says.

He adds that the meetings between him and Starmer were productive, and that he gave the prime minister an update on his efforts to end the "bloody and horrible" war in Ukraine, adding it would never have happened if he was president.

He says about one million Ukrainians and Russians have been senselessly killed, adding that the actual number is much higher than that.

On peace in Ukraine, he says it will be "fairly soon or it won't be at all".

After arriving to applause, Donald Trump begins delivering his opening statement.

He says it is a privilege to welcome Keir Starmer to the White House.

He says Starmer is a tough negotiator. "I'm not sure I like that," he jokes before nodding to the "special relationship" between the two countries.

Trump again references the invitation for a second state visit handed to him by Starmer on behalf of King Charles, and says it is a "great honour".

Image source, Getty Images

Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have arrived in the East Room of the White House.

Flanked by US and UK flags, they take their places behind two lecterns, arranged side-by-side. There's even applause from some in the room.

If you missed it: Both leaders spoke to the press earlier in the Oval Office (read our summary of the key moments). This is expected to be a more formal affair, with both leaders due to give statements before taking questions from reporters.

We'll share the key lines here - watch live at the top of the page.

While we wait for the news conference to get going, we can tell you what the two leaders had for lunch.

The BBC's Caitriona Perry got the scoop:

• Starter: A winter green salad
• Main: Grilled seabass
• Dessert: Chocolate caramel cake

(None of the above was offered round to our reporters outside, we should add.)

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from the White House

Hello from the East Room of the White House.

The news conference is imminent.

Does the US have a trade surplus with the UK?published at 20:03 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

20:03 GMT 27 February

By Ben Chu

In the Oval Office earlier, President Trump’s favourite word "tariffs" came up – these are taxes on imports which he wants to use to target countries which have a trade surplus with the US (in other words, they sell more to America than they import from it).

Sir Keir Starmer was keen to point out that "our trade is fair and balanced, in fact you’ve got a bit of a surplus".

The UK's Office for National Statistics estimates, external the UK had a surplus of around £71bn in trade with the US in 2023, the most recent full year for which we have data.

But the American statistics office, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, estimates the US had a surplus on its trade with the UK in that year of $14.5bn, around £12bn.

How can both be true?

The two stats agencies have looked at this discrepancy and agree it is due to different ways of measuring trade.

One factor is the UK agencies, unlike their US counterparts, do not count trade flows through British crown dependencies such as the Isle of Man, some of which are significant financial services hubs and markedly affect the overall figures.

Another key, related, element seems to be differences in the measurement of services trade - things such as banking and finance - as opposed to physical goods.

But the bottom line is there is still a degree of uncertainty about what precisely is driving the overall difference in the statistics and both agencies are trying to work it out.

The UK will doubtless hope that Trump thinks his country has a trade surplus with the UK, to avoid any of his tariffs.

As we've reported, Donald Trump seemed to back the UK's plan to hand over the Chagos Islands, a territory in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius.

Under the deal, the UK would lease an existing UK-US military base there for another 99 years - with an option for a 40-year extension.

Trump called it a "powerful lease, a very strong lease". Watch his comments here:

Has the US spent $200bn more than Europe on Ukraine?published at 19:35 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

19:35 GMT 27 February

By Nick Eardley

Talking about US funding for Ukraine and comparing it to Europe’s, President Trump said: "We're in for $300bn plus and they’re in for $100bn."

We can’t find any evidence for Trump’s $300bn claim and figures from the Kiel Institute - which tracks funding - show Europe as a whole has spent more than the US.

The think tank calculates that between 24 January 2022 and the end of 2024, Europe as a whole spent $138.7bn on Ukraine.

This includes aid directly from the European Union, but also from bilateral deals from European countries, both inside and outside the EU. It includes military, financial and humanitarian aid.

In the same period, the United States - which is the biggest individual donor by some margin - spent $119.7bn, according to their figures.

• Read our full analysis here

Image source, Getty Images

During the Oval Office sit down, Donald Trump suggested he would support the UK's plan to give up control of the Chagos Islands, a British territory in the Indian Ocean.

"We're going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it's going to work out very well," he said.

"They're talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years actually.

"That's a long time, and I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country."

But what exactly is the deal?

• The UK has agreed with Mauritius - a nation off the east coast of Africa - to hand over control of the Chagos Islands
• The UK would continue to lease one of the islands, Diego Garcia, which is home to a US-UK military base
• Under the plan, the UK is expected to lease Diego Garcia for 99 years, with an option for a 40-year extension
• The deal was announced in October - since then an election removed the Mauritian leader with whom the deal was agreed, while Trump's election in November added to delays on the final sign-off
• The UK is under pressure to hand over the islands after United Nations bodies sided with Mauritian sovereignty claims in recent years
• The UK took control of the Chagos Islands, or British Indian Ocean Territory, from its then colony, Mauritius, in 1965
• Keir Starmer says the new deal is "extremely important for our security" and costs would be put before MPs before it is finalised
• But, the PM has faced criticism for the cost of the deal - with the UK government denying claims that it could pay billions more than anticipated

It was clear who wanted to be in chargepublished at 19:10 Greenwich Mean Time 27 February

19:10 GMT 27 February

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

While the Trump-Starmer meeting in the Oval Office was cordial, it was clear that one man wanted to be in charge: Donald Trump.

Over half an hour of questions, Trump seemed to want to take charge of the room. He dominated the conversation, with Starmer only occasionally chiming in.

The US president also took charge of calling on reporters - both US-based White House reporters and the visiting British media - as he leaned forward in his seat and slightly in Starmer's direction.

He also occasionally made light-hearted jabs at the reporters in the room - and at Starmer and the UK as a whole.

"Can you take on Russia by yourself?" he asked, to which Starmer only laughed.

Meanwhile, Starmer was leaning back in his chair, legs crossed and only occasionally interjecting.

His strongest moment of push-back came after JD Vance said that freedom of speech had been "infringed upon". Starmer swiftly stepped in, attempting to correct Vance and saying he's "very proud" of free speech in Britain.

The meeting was a pattern we've now seen six times with foreign leaders at the White House this term, including with Emmanuel Macron earlier this week: Trump taking control of the room and using the opportunity to get his own messages, both domestic and international, across to the reporters in the room.

We can now bring you the contents of the letter from King Charles III, inviting Trump for a second state visit to the UK.

Here it is in full:

"Quite apart from this presenting an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest, it would also offer a valuable chance to plan a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom.

"As you will know this is unprecedented by a US President.

"That is why I would find it helpful for us to be able to discuss, together, a range of options for location and programme content.

"In so doing, working together, I know we will further enhance the special relationship between our two countries of which we are both so proud."

The note is signed "Yours Most Sincerely, Charles" at the bottom.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

For the most part, Donald Trump dominated the press Q&A in the Oval Office just now, with Starmer often struggling to get a word in edgeways.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Nato hopes squashed: On Ukraine's aspiration to join the military alliance as part of a ceasefire deal with Russia, Trump suggested "that's not going to happen"
• 'Did I say that?': Asked by the BBC's Chris Mason about his calling Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator", Trump replied: "Did I say that? I can't believe I would say that"
• On ceasefire: On a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine, Trump said "if we make a deal it's going to hold"
• Trump backs Chagos deal?: Away from Ukraine, Trump suggested he would back a deal on the Chagos Islands, which he feels is "going to work out very well"
• A message from the monarch: At the start of the sit-down, Starmer handed Trump a letter from King Charles, inviting him for a state visit - the president said he gladly accepted

We'll continue to unpick what we've just heard, so stick with us.

Image source, Getty Images

The US vice-president, JD Vance, now suggests there have been “infringements” on free speech in the UK, without evidencing his claim.

Starmer pushes back.

"We’ve had free speech for a very long time in the UK,” he says, adding that the country will “continue” to do so.

And with that, the public part of the leaders' meeting comes to an end. We'll wrap up all the key moments for you in our next post.

Moving on, Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office that he thinks the security element of a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal will be easy to agree.

He continues that the hard conversation is to establish whether we have an agreement.

But, the president says that he thinks both Russia and Ukraine will agree to a ceasefire deal.

The BBC's political editor Chris Mason points out that Trump previously referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dictator". Does he still believe that?

"Did I say that, I can't believe I would say that", Trump replies.

For context: Following criticism from Zelensky on the meeting held between the US and Russia last week, Trump described the Ukrainian leader as a "dictator" - echoing Russia's claims - in reference to the fact Kyiv has not held an election since 2019.

An election was scheduled for May 2024, but it was suspended because Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia began its full-scale invasion.

Image source, Getty Images

Asked if an agreement struck with Russia to end the war in Ukraine would endure, Trump says he thinks it will.

“I have confidence if we make a deal it’s going to hold”, Trump says.

We're onto a discussion about a ceasefire deal in Ukraine, which Starmer says wouldn't have been possible were it not for the space created by Trump.

The PM then stresses that any deal must be long-lasting and not just a short term fix.

Trump adds that achieving security in Ukraine once a deal is reached is the easy part - the difficult part is reaching an agreement in the first place.

Trump says the US is paying a disproportionate share in Nato, adding that his predecessor Joe Biden did a terrible job.

He goes on to say that the Ukraine war and 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel should also have never happened, along with inflation and the nature of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Trump goes on to say that if he hadn’t won the election, the ongoing peace conversations with Putin “wouldn’t be happening”.

He says that he doesn’t believe Putin would launch another invasion of Ukraine.

Trump indicates he could back Starmer's Chagos Islands deal, saying: "We're going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it's going to work out very well."

"I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country."

For context: The UK plans to give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, a territory in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, but will keep a 99-year lease on the largest island in the archipelago, which contains a UK-US military airbase

Image source, Reuters

Trump is asked about his comment that the EU "disrupting" is US trade.

What can Keir Starmer do to stop you from imposing tariffs on the EU, Trump's asked.

The president says that he's had problems with the EU. He adds that the EU has sued American companies - giving Apple as an example.

Some context: Last year, Apple was fined $1.8bn by the EU for breaching streaming rules.