By Kate Sullivan, Alex Wickham and Akayla Gardner Bloomberg News
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WASHINGTON — United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer left his meeting with Donald Trump with much to be satisfied about despite falling short of his top objective — obtaining guarantees from the U.S. president for a plan to provide a so-called backstop to protect Ukraine from further attacks after an end to Russia’s war.

Starmer charmed Trump on their first meeting since the Republican retook office — appealing to his love of pomp by delivering a personal invitation from King Charles III to attend a second state dinner in the UK, which the prime minister cast as “unprecedented” and a testimony to the close ties between the two nations.

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Trump accepted the invite on the spot and expanded on his love for Britain, citing the golf courses he owns there. During a joint press conference with Starmer from the White House, the U.S. president expressed eagerness to quickly conduct a trade deal that would allow the UK to avoid tariffs and signaled support for a plan to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean while maintaining control of a military base there.

Trump lavished praise on his counterpart, and noted that he had brought back a bust of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the Oval Office.

“You’re a very tough negotiator,” Trump told Starmer with a laugh. “I’m not sure I like that but that’s okay — very very special person.”

In total, the meeting amounted to a diplomatic coup for the beleaguered British prime minister — even if he fell short of his ultimate objective of winning U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine. The embrace also threatened to deepen the wedge between the UK and Europe, as Trump repeatedly argued that he preferred to deal with London over Brussels even as European leaders were seeking to unify assistance for Kyiv.

Trump’s embrace of Starmer should at least partially neutralize attacks from Starmer’s opponents including Nigel Farage, whose populist Reform UK party has drawn level with the ruling Labour Party in opinion polls, who have suggested the UK leader would be unable to advance British interests with the new conservative American administration.

Still, the warm relations will be immediately tested Friday when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Washington.

Trump sidestepped pressure from Starmer to provide U.S. support for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, calling the idea premature and saying it would need to wait until there was first a ceasefire in place.

“I don’t like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal,” Trump said during their meeting. “Right now, we don’t have a deal. We have Russia, we have Ukraine.”

Trump instead focused on a deal on critical-mineral sharing expected to be approved on Friday, saying it would help redevelop Ukraine, reimburse U.S. taxpayers for their support of Kyiv, and claiming that the presence of American workers implementing the agreement would be a form of security. He did suggest a U.S. willingness to provide Ukraine with intelligence or other support following a peace deal, which will be welcomed by European leaders worried that Washington would completely walk away from the conflict.

Starmer said he and Trump “had a very productive discussion” and highlighted efforts to significantly increase the UK’s defense spending — responding to the U.S. administration’s pressure for European allies to contribute more to collective security.

“I’ve been very clear today and previously that I think European countries including the United Kingdom need to step up,” Starmer said. “I made it clear the United Kingdom will do its full part.”

And the UK premier acknowledged that while a ceasefire was Trump’s priority, European allies must be resolute in their support for Ukraine.

“Obviously, as the president says the deal has to come first. But yes, our teams are going to be talking about how we make sure that deals sticks is lasting and enforced,” he added.

Still, even as Starmer said the UK was prepared to put boots on the ground — and jets in the air — it was unclear that he had moved Trump any closer toward providing the necessary U.S. support to carry out those plans.

Starmer’s visit was the latest from a European ally in what has been a week of furious diplomacy as U.S. partners carry out a delicate, last-ditch bid to urge Trump to slow his efforts to negotiate an end to war directly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

That rapidly developing initiative has raised alarm in many foreign capitals, intensifying fears the U.S. president may force major concessions on Kyiv that solidify Russia’s military gains, sidelining European allies and rupturing the transatlantic alliance.

The stakes for Starmer were high as the Labour prime minister sought to navigate a crisis with stark implications for Ukraine, the NATO alliance and the U.S.-UK relationship. French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Trump on Monday, also made the case to provide support for a backstop.

Trump, however, did not make any commitment during his French counterpart’s visit on a role for Europe in talks with Russia or security guarantees, a stance he reiterated at a Cabinet meeting earlier this week.

“I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much,” Trump had said. “We’re going to have Europe do that.”