Breaking News: Friday briefing: What happened when Keir Starmer met Donald Trump…. Check In

In today’s newsletter: From Russia to tariffs and the Chagos Islands, yesterday’s White House meeting set the agenda for the UK’s future relationship with the US

Keir Starmer’s meeting with Donald Trump began as expected: handshakes, backslaps, and warm compliments. Like any good guest, the prime minister did not come empty-handed, offering the president an “unprecedented” second state visit. Starmer was pulling out all the stops to save and protect the decades-old transatlantic alliance. And it seems, for now, that he achieved it: after private talks, Trump affirmed that “the US and UK have a special relationship, very special, really like no other passed down through the centuries. And we’re going to keep it that way. We’re going to keep it very strong as it is.”

Despite the generally cordial tone, Trump didn’t shy away from goading the prime minister at times. During questions about the war in Ukraine, he asked the prime minister, “could you take on Russia by yourselves?”, prompting nothing more than a laugh from Starmer.

Today’s newsletter goes through the key takeaways from last night. That’s right after the headlines.

China | Dozens of Uyghurs have been deported from Thailand to China in the face of warnings from human rights experts that there is a high risk they will suffer torture, enforced disappearance and imprisonment. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Thursday said the US condemned Thailand’s move “in the strongest possible terms”.

Transport | HS2 has become “a casebook example of how not to run a major project”, according to the latest scathing report on the high-speed rail line from MPs on the public accounts committee. The MPs said it was “unacceptable that over a decade into the programme, we still do not know what it will cost, what the final scope will be, when it will finally be completed or what benefits it will deliver”.

Local authorities | Almost half of councils in England risk falling into bankruptcy without action to address a £4.6bn deficit amassed under a Conservative-era policy, the government’s spending watchdog has warned

UK news | A network of Telegram channels with Russian links is encouraging people in Britain to commit violent attacks on mosques and Muslims and offering cryptocurrency in return, campaigners have warned.

Entertainment | The Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead at their New Mexico home on Wednesday afternoon. The Press Association confirmed an “active investigation’’ into the deaths.

In depth: Starmer’s charm offensive
As with other world leaders, Trump dominated the conversation. The prime minister did, however, gently push back at points – most notably when correcting Trump on the nature of British assistance to Ukraine. When Trump claimed European countries were getting most of their money back, Starmer interjected, clarifying that much of Britain’s aid to Ukraine was given, not loaned. It echoed a similar moment with the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

All in all, after much hand-wringing, Starmer appears to have successfully threaded the needle with the president. Trump called him a “very tough negotiator” – high praise in Maga circles – suggesting that in private Starmer managed to hold his ground without resorting to sycophancy or outright deference.

Trump and the king

Trump’s admiration for the royal family is no secret – it was one of the few diplomatic cards Starmer could play with confidence. Handing over the king’s invitation to meet in Scotland, Sky’s Beth Rigby noted that Trump “genuinely seemed utterly delighted”. The clout of an unprecedented second state visit appears to have done the trick – for now. As Washington bureau chief David Smith aptly put in his sketch: “Starmer calculated correctly that the puff and pageantry of a state visit with King Charles was bound to appeal to a man who, when he recently wrote on social media, ‘LONG LIVE THE KING!’, had only himself in mind.”

Denials

Donald Trump took aim at Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, falsely calling him a “dictator” and deepening the rift between the two leaders. The remark sparked widespread criticism across Europe, with Starmer making it clear he stood firmly with Zelenskyy.

When a reporter pressed Trump on his comment, the former president came back with a Steve Urkel-style response: “Did I say that?” His answer made it clear he had no intention of doubling down. He did, however, attempt a conciliatory tone, calling Ukraine’s president “very brave,” though he stopped short of fully retracting his initial comment.

The minerals and the peace deal

After days of negotiations, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and the US had reached a “preliminary” deal to hand over revenue from some of Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to the US. The Trump administration expects him to sign the deal later today. Initially, Zelenskyy had accused Washington of pressuring him into an agreement that would leave 10 generations of Ukrainians paying it back.

Trump defended the deal yesterday, calling it a “backstop”. He argued that the presence of American workers and companies extracting the minerals would serve as a deterrent against Russian attacks. But this falls far short of the security guarantees that Ukraine has long sought. Ultimately, Trump declined to commit to deploying US forces alongside European and British peacekeeping troops, though he insisted that the US would “always” support the British military if need be.

Earlier this month, Zelenskyy warned that it would be “very, very, very difficult” for Ukraine to survive without continued US military support. “Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees,” he told the Guardian.

On the broader negotiations, Trump expressed confidence that Putin would honour a peace deal. “I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word. I don’t think he’ll be back when we make a deal. I think the deal is going to hold now. They’re going to have security.”

Earlier in the day, Putin continued his months-long charm offensive towards Trump, praising his administration for its “pragmatism, a realistic worldview”.