Feb 26, 2025 08:29 PM
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to visit the White House. Here's what to know
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/26/nx-s1-530...hite-house
EXCERPT: . . . Many European leaders consider the deal Trump is offering Ukraine unfair, and worry that an emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin might invade more of their neighbors. After President Trump called Putin earlier this month, Elie Tenenbaum, a security expert at the French Institute for International Relations, told NPR that European leaders were facing a "nightmare scenario."
Into this scenario now walks a mild-mannered former human rights lawyer who's been the United Kingdom's prime minister for just over six months: Keir Starmer.
Starmer, a centrist, will be in Washington on Thursday, following Monday's White House visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. Starmer, analysts say, will be hoping his announcement of a landmark increase in U.K. defense spending on the eve of his visit will send a signal to Washington that Britain is willing to lead in boosting Europe's security — and will help ease relations with the president, who has long demanded NATO allies contribute more to Europe's defense.
Starmer said Tuesday that Britain would increase its defense spending to 2.5% of economic output by 2027, telling the House of Commons that it marked the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War. The U.K. will slash its aid budget to pay for this new expenditure.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the news, calling it a "strong step from an enduring partner" in a social media post. Aides say the prime minister will try to leverage the so-called "special relationship" between the U.K. and U.S. and act as a "bridge" between the Trump administration and its increasingly disgruntled allies on the other side of the Atlantic.
"A go-between who understands both the United States and Europe. Through my whole career in diplomacy, that was how we saw ourselves, even though some others didn't," says Simon McDonald, a member of the House of Lords who served as the most senior civil servant in the U.K. Foreign Office during Trump's first administration. "With this new Trump administration, perhaps that old way of seeing ourselves can come into its own."
But can Starmer find common ground?
Starmer would like to get a British exemption from the 25% tariffs Trump has imposed on global steel and aluminum imports, which U.K. steelmakers have called a "devastating blow." They are due to go into effect next month.
He may also try to sway Trump from his plan to turn the Gaza Strip into what the president called a "Riviera of the Middle East," and will underscore British support for a two-state solution that includes the right for Palestinians to stay on their land or return to it after it's rebuilt.
But Starmer's overwhelming priority, analysts say, is to nudge Trump toward what he and European leaders see as fairer terms for Ukraine in talks toward ending the war there... (MORE - missing details)
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/26/nx-s1-530...hite-house
EXCERPT: . . . Many European leaders consider the deal Trump is offering Ukraine unfair, and worry that an emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin might invade more of their neighbors. After President Trump called Putin earlier this month, Elie Tenenbaum, a security expert at the French Institute for International Relations, told NPR that European leaders were facing a "nightmare scenario."
Into this scenario now walks a mild-mannered former human rights lawyer who's been the United Kingdom's prime minister for just over six months: Keir Starmer.
Starmer, a centrist, will be in Washington on Thursday, following Monday's White House visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. Starmer, analysts say, will be hoping his announcement of a landmark increase in U.K. defense spending on the eve of his visit will send a signal to Washington that Britain is willing to lead in boosting Europe's security — and will help ease relations with the president, who has long demanded NATO allies contribute more to Europe's defense.
Starmer said Tuesday that Britain would increase its defense spending to 2.5% of economic output by 2027, telling the House of Commons that it marked the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War. The U.K. will slash its aid budget to pay for this new expenditure.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the news, calling it a "strong step from an enduring partner" in a social media post. Aides say the prime minister will try to leverage the so-called "special relationship" between the U.K. and U.S. and act as a "bridge" between the Trump administration and its increasingly disgruntled allies on the other side of the Atlantic.
"A go-between who understands both the United States and Europe. Through my whole career in diplomacy, that was how we saw ourselves, even though some others didn't," says Simon McDonald, a member of the House of Lords who served as the most senior civil servant in the U.K. Foreign Office during Trump's first administration. "With this new Trump administration, perhaps that old way of seeing ourselves can come into its own."
But can Starmer find common ground?
Starmer would like to get a British exemption from the 25% tariffs Trump has imposed on global steel and aluminum imports, which U.K. steelmakers have called a "devastating blow." They are due to go into effect next month.
He may also try to sway Trump from his plan to turn the Gaza Strip into what the president called a "Riviera of the Middle East," and will underscore British support for a two-state solution that includes the right for Palestinians to stay on their land or return to it after it's rebuilt.
But Starmer's overwhelming priority, analysts say, is to nudge Trump toward what he and European leaders see as fairer terms for Ukraine in talks toward ending the war there... (MORE - missing details)
