UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he had discussed a Ukraine peace deal that would be "tough and fair" with US President Donald Trump at a joint news conference following their meeting at the White House, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported.
Starmer also said "Ukraine will help shape" the deal "backed by strength to stop Putin coming back for more."
He agreed with Trump on upping spending on defense among European countries
At the news conference, Trump praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his defense against Russia's invasion, DW reported.
"We have a lot of respect. I have a lot of respect for him. We've given him a lot of equipment and a lot of money, but they have fought very bravely," Trump said.
The US president added he and Zelenskyy would have a "very good meeting" on Friday, DW said.
Brexit legislation needs to include public vote - Starmer
The two leaders are expected to sign a deal in Washington that would give the US a share in Ukraine's mineral wealth.
Trump: Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal will be 'fairly soon or won't be at all'
In a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, US President Donald Trump said that following successful calls with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents that he felt a peace agreement will be announced "fairly soon or won't be at all."
He went on to claim the war would not have started had he been president and that a peace agreement would prevent a "war on European soil."
For his part, Starmer said, "We need to win the peace in Ukraine." He also added that any peace agreement could not "reward the aggressor."
US President Donald Trump told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom he welcomed to the White House for talks, that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is moving forward and that the United States has had good discussions with both countries, according to DW.
Trump said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin will honor any peace deal made with Ukraine, which Moscow invaded three years ago. The Kremlin leader will "keep his word," the US president said.
Trump also stressed that a ceasefire must be reached in Ukraine before a decision can be taken on deploying foreign peacekeepers.
He also said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would sign an agreement on joint minerals extraction in Ukraine when the Ukrainian leader visits the White House on Friday, said the German media.
The US president downplayed an earlier jibe calling Zelenskyy a "dictator." "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that," Trump responded when asked by journalists about his comment made this month in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Meanwhile, Starmer said he would discuss with Trump how to ensure that any Ukraine peace deal is not violated by Russia, speaking alongside Trump ahead of a meeting in Washington.
"We've talked and we will talk about how we work with yourself, Mr. President, to ensure that this deal is something which is not violated, because it's very important that if there is a deal, we keep it," the British prime minister said.
Starmer also handed Trump a hand-signed letter from King Charles III, inviting US President Donald Trump to make an "unprecedented" second state visit to the UK.
Trump, who has long been a vocal fan of the British royal family, immediately accepted the invitation, reported DW.
