March 18, 2025 12:13 GMT
UK: Starmer Talks To Trump On Ukraine Plan As Business Sec Visits D.C.
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Reuters reports comments from PM Sir Keir Starmer's spox. Says that Starmer spoke to US President Donald Trump by phone late on Monday 17 March to update him on the 'coalition of the willing's' plans to support Ukraine. Spox says Starmer 'reiterated that we must all do all we can to put Ukraine in the strongest position'. With Trump set to hold a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming hours (see 'SECURITY: Trump-Putin Call Expected Between 09:00ET And 11:00ET', 0932GMT), military chiefs from Ukraine's allies (excluding the US) will meet in London on 20 March to discuss how their troops could be deployed in the event of a ceasefire.
- The spox also says that Starmer and Trump discussed UK Business Minister Jonathan Reynolds' trip to Washington, D.C., and steps both countries are taking to secure an economic deal.
- Reynolds is in D.C., today and will meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
- Writing in The Hill on 17 March, the UK's new ambassador to the US, former minister and European Commissioner Peter Mandelson, called for a technology partnership "to be at the heart of any U.S.-U.K. economic deal."
- Lutnick notably praised the UK (as well as Mexico) for holding off on retaliatory tariffs on the US after the Trump administration put blanket tariffs on steel and aluminium imports last week, saying “The British didn’t respond, the Mexicans didn’t respond — you have some countries that actually thoughtfully examine how they do business with us,”.
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