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A British government spokesperson announced Monday that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington next week to discuss a "wide range of issues." Starmer aims to maintain good relations with both the US and the European Union.
He is also hoping the UK can act as a bridge between Europe and the United States over the war in Ukraine, stressing that Britain could have "a unique role" in helping to secure any ceasefire in Ukraine.
"The prime minister will travel to Washington DC next week," the spokesperson said.
The encounter will be the first face-to-face talks between the two leaders since Trump started his second term in the White House in January.
"The prime minister looks forward to meeting President Trump shortly to discuss how we can deepen the special relationship across trade, investment and security," the Downing Street spokesperson said.
Trump has said he will impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from March and has made sudden policy shifts on the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. The confirmation of the US visit comes as Starmer headed to Paris for a hastily convened meeting of European leaders on Monday on Washington's policy shift on the war in Ukraine.
Trump sidelined Kyiv and its European backers last week when he called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the conflict -- leaving them fearful they will be excluded from any peace negotiations.
Starmer has said he is willing to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of potential peacekeeping efforts, and on Monday called for any peace deal to be "lasting, just and enduring". He also encouraged Europe to "take on a greater role in NATO", saying at the weekend that the UK would "work to ensure we keep the US and Europe together".
