Donald Trump says US and UK are 'united in the pursuit of peace'

It's the final day of Trump's unprecedented second state visit.

Donald Trump and Keir Starmer say US and UK are ‘united in the pursuit of peace’STV News

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Kier Starmer have said the US and UK are both “united in the pursuit of peace” despite disagreements over recognising Palestinian statehood.

Speaking at a joint press conference at the PM’s country estate on Thursday afternoon, the two leaders spoke about the conflicts in both Ukraine and the Middle East.

“We are working together to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East, get the aid in, free the hostages and ultimately bring Israel and the region back towards a comprehensive plan which can deliver peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Starmer said.

However, Trump described Starmer’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state as “one of our few disagreements”.

“I have a disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score,” he told journalists.

Starmer insisted that recognition needs to be seen as “part of that overall package which hopefully takes us from the appalling situation we’re in now to the outcome of a safe and secure Israel, which we do not have, and a viable Palestinian state”.

When asked why he was waiting for the US President to leave the country before recognising Palestinian statehood, Starmer denied that the timing had anything to do with Trump’s state visit.

He added: “Hamas are a terrorist organisation that can have no part in any future governance in Palestine”.

Trump touched the Prime Minister’s arm and said “that’s good”.

Starmer said the two nations are also working together to “end the killing” in Ukraine.

“In recent days, Putin has shown his true face, mounting the biggest attack since the invasion began, with yet more bloodshed, yet more innocents killed, and unprecedented violations of Nato airspace,” the Prime Minister said.

“These are not the actions of someone who wants peace. So, we’ve discussed today how we can build our defences further to support Ukraine and decisively increase the pressure on Putin to get him to agree a peace deal that will last.”

Trump later said he thought the Ukraine war would be the “easiest” to resolve, but Vladimir Putin had “really let me down”.

Trump ‘didn’t know’ Lord Mandelson

Trump was also asked whether he had sympathy for former UK ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson for being sacked over historic links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The US President said: “I don’t know him actually, I had heard that, and I think maybe the Prime Minister would be better speaking of that. It was a choice that he made and I don’t know.”

Speaking directly to Starmer, Trump said: “What is your answer to that?”

The Prime Minister replied: “It’s very straightforward. Some information came to light last week which wasn’t available when he was appointed, and I made a decision about it, and that’s very clear.”

‘New era for special relationship’

The two leaders signed a technology prosperity deal earlier in the day. It is touted as offering major investment by US tech firms in Britain, which will help to develop its AI capabilities.

The Prime Minister said the second state visit and the technology prosperity deal marked a “new era” for the special relationship.

He said it was a “great day for the special [UK-US] relationship” as he praised “my friend, our friend, President Trump.”

Taking the stage, Trump joked that Sir Keir Starmer is a “tough negotiator” and that the US-UK trade deal “was a better deal for you than us” at a joint Chequers press conference with the Prime Minister.

Starmer laughed and added: “It’s a good deal for both of us.”

The US President also described the King and Queen as “two fantastic people”. He added that the two nations would “always be friends”.

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