President Donald Trump asserted Thursday that the “disaster” in Ukraine showed the importance of Britain and the NATO partners investing in defense.
Trump made the remarks at the White House, carried live by Newsmax, after a day of talks with Britain Prime Minister Keir Starmer. His comments came ahead of Friday’s visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign a deal to develop Ukraine’s rare earths minerals that he said would be the foundation of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia to end the three-year war.
“This will lay the groundwork for a long term peace agreement that will return stability to Eastern Europe, and hopefully ensure that such a terrible war will never happen on European soil, or for that matter, anywhere again,” Trump said in prepared remarks. “The disaster in Ukraine shows exactly why it's so important for the United Kingdom and other NATO partners to make large investments in their defense capabilities. In many cases, 4% or 5% of GDP would be appropriate.”
Starmer in his remarks agreed with Trump, adding, “In this new era, you're also right that Europe must step up.”
“And so the UK is all in. This year will be giving more military aid to Ukraine than ever. And just this week, I have set out how we are shouldering more of the security burden. We are already one of the biggest spenders in NATO, and now we're going much further, delivering Britain's biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War. This isn't just talk, it's action.”
Trump lauded Starmer and acknowledged the “great thing” the PM is doing for his country in raising it.
Trump also spoke of the deal he’s set to sign with Ukraine on Friday to become a “major partner” in developing the country’s rare earth minerals. Trump called it a “historic peace deal.” Trump first announced Wednesday that Zelenskyy will be at the White House to sign the deal that will end the “bloody and horrible war in Ukraine.”
“We have a great understanding. I think it's going to be great for Ukraine,” Trump said.
“But under the breakthrough agreement, very unusual, which everyone said was difficult to get. But it's really very good for Ukraine and very good for us. The American taxpayers will now effectively be reimbursed for the money, and hundreds of billions of dollars poured into helping Ukraine defend itself, which by and of itself is a very worthy thing to do,” he added.
Starmer said Britain and the U.S. stand “side by side” to “end the barbaric war in Ukraine,” adding “we have to get right.”
“There's a famous slogan in the United Kingdom from after the Second World War, that is, that we have to ‘win the peace,'" Starmer said. “And that's what we must do now, because it can't be peace that rewards the aggressor, or that gives encouragement to regimes like Iran. We agree history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader.
He added, “We've discussed a plan today to reach a peace that is tough and fair, that Ukraine will help shape, that's backed by strength to stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin coming back for more. I'm working closely with other European leaders on this, and I am clear that the UK is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal working together with our allies, because that is the only way that peace will last.”
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