Conference

President Trump concluded his two-day state visit to Britain on Thursday with a joint news conference alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Context

Trump received an unprecedented second invitation for a state visit to Britain, featuring royal ceremonies at Windsor Castle and business meetings at the prime minister’s country estate in an effort to maintain influence with the US. British officials hoped to secure favorable trade deals, coordinate responses to global conflicts, and preserve the countries’ relationship despite growing policy disagreements.

The two leaders held a news conference at the prime minister’s country estate, Chequers, on Thursday.

Israel-Palestine

Trump and Starmer disagreed on Britain’s planned recognition of a Palestinian state, with Trump saying, “I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score, one of our few disagreements, actually.” The president emphasized his focus on hostage releases, stating he wanted all remaining hostages freed immediately.

Starmer had announced in July that Britain would recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire, facing mounting pressure from his Labour Party and the British public as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsened, though Starmer also denounced Hamas as “a terror organization that can have no part in any future governance in Palestine." He explained that Hamas opposed the UK's peace plan because it envisioned a two-state solution, which the group rejects. 

Russia-Ukraine

The two leaders also addressed the war in Ukraine, though with limited concrete outcomes. 

Trump expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, “He’s let me down. He's really let me down” regarding the lack of progress in peace negotiations.

Starmer pressed for increased pressure on Russia, arguing that Putin had shown “increased recklessness” with recent strikes and drone incursions. The British leader said Putin had only shown “any inclination to move” when Trump applied pressure, urging the president to “ramp that pressure up.”

Free Speech

The leaders sidestepped potential controversy over differing approaches to free speech. Trump had previously criticized Britain’s handling of free speech cases, calling recent police actions against online posts “sad” and “not a good thing.” During the news conference, Starmer was asked about freedom of speech in Britain but avoided direct confrontation, saying Britain “protects free speech” while exercising limits to protect children from harmful social media content.

Deals

The visit produced significant business agreements, with companies including Microsoft, OpenAI, and Blackstone pledging more than $200B in investment in Britain over the next decade. Trump and Starmer signed a technology partnership agreement focused on artificial intelligence and nuclear energy cooperation. However, Britain failed to secure the reduced US tariffs on steel that it had sought.