US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that talks on a peace deal with Russia and Ukraine are “very progressing” and that when he met with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer at the White House, he praised Russia for its actions in the talks.
The priorities urged the US to provide a “backstop” to European troops for European troops who will take part in a potential peacekeeping role in Ukraine at the end of peace talks that have been moving forward since Trump took office last month.
Sitting with Starme in his oval office, Trump said he believes the peace deal he reached with Russia will be held and does not think Putin will invade Ukraine again.
“I think Russia is acting very well. …I think we’ve made a lot of progress on this deal, but we haven’t done it yet,” Trump said, adding that he won’t be giving details about peacekeeping until the deal is agreed.
When asked if Putin could be trusted, Trump replied, “trust and validated.” Starmer thanked Trump for “changing the conversation and giving us the possibility of getting a peace deal.”
Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky is expected to visit the White House on Friday and sign an agreement with Trump on Ukraine’s key minerals. Trump said the deal would be a backstop for Ukraine.