A trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom could occur “very quickly,” said President Donald Trump at a joint press conference with Sir Keir Starmer.
Speaking during the Prime Minister’s visit to the White House, Trump envisaged “a real trade agreement” which could see the United Kingdom avoiding the type of price that the president threatened by some of the other trade partners in the United States.
The trip had been considered a key moment in Sir Keir’s minister when he sought to influence Trump’s decisions on subjects such as Ukraine, as well as trade.
Sir Keir launched his visit to the White House by presenting Trump a letter from King Charles inviting him to a second “unprecedented” state visit to the United Kingdom.
Receiving the letter in front of cameras in the oval office, Trump said it would be a “great honor” and described the king as “a wonderful man”.
Sir Keir said that the offer of a second state visit was “really historic”. Traditionally, the American presidents have only received one state visit.
Having confirmed that he would accept the invitation, Trump, with Sir Keir, responded to journalists for 30 minutes.
The American president made most of the conversation, exposing his position on many subjects, including the possibility of a Ukrainian agreement and the potential agreement of the United Kingdom with Mauritius on the islands of Chagos.
On the plane in the United States, Sir Keir reiterated his desire to send British troops to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.
However, he argued that, without warranty of American security, Russian president Vladimir Putin could reinvest Ukraine.
When asked if he would provide such insurance, Trump said that a mineral agreement he planned to sign with Ukraine on Friday could provide a “safety net”.
He said “no one will play” if the American workers were in the country, as part of the mineral agreement.
The American president was registered if he maintained his accusation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a “dictator”.
“Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that,” he said.
He later added that he had “a lot of respect” for Zelensky, that he will welcome Washington DC on Friday.
The United Kingdom’s planned agreement with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands was a potential source of tension between the leaders of the United Kingdom and the United States.
However, Trump seemed to support the approach of the United Kingdom saying that he was “inclined to accompany him”.
The agreement would see the United Kingdom give in the sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago, but would maintain control of the island of Diego Garcia, which includes an American military air base, praising it.
After asking questions in the Oval Office, the two leaders participated in talks, then held an official press conference, during which Trump spoke on several occasions of a possible agreement on US-UK trade which could be agreed “very quickly”.
Referring to an economic agreement rather than a trade agreement, Sir Keir said that the United Kingdom and the United States would begin to work on an agreement on the potential of artificial intelligence.
“Instead of regulating these new technologies too much, we seize the opportunities they offer,” he said.
He said that the United Kingdom and the United States had shaped the “major technological innovations of the last century” and now had the chance to do the same in the 21st century.
“Artificial intelligence could cure cancer. It could be a moon for our age, and this is how we will continue to deliver our people,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose prices – import taxes – on many of its allies, including 25% of the goods made in the European Union.
He also ordered an import tax of 25% on all steel and aluminum entering the United States-which could strike the United Kingdom.
When he was asked if Sir Keir had tried to dissuade the president from commanding prices against the United Kingdom, Trump said: “He tried.”
“He worked hard, I told you. He won whatever he was hell they paid there,” he said.
“I think there is a very good chance that in the case of these two large, sympathetic countries, I think we could very well end up with a real trade agreement where the prices would not be necessary. We will see.”
In order to convince the president against the British prices, Sir Keir said that the US-UK trade relationship was “fair, balanced and reciprocal”.
Since he left the European Union, successive British leaders have hoped to obtain a general free trade agreement with the United States.
During his first term as president, Trump said that discussions on a “very substantial” agreement with the United Kingdom were underway.
However, negotiations have obtained a dead point with disagreements on American agricultural exports and British taxes on technological companies causing problems.
