President Donald Trump gave a new hope in a rapid trade agreement with Britain, announcing that threatened definitions “will not be necessary” if negotiations are advanced as expected.
These observations came at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Sir Kerr Starmer, who visited the White House in search of closer economic relations and clarity on US sanctions policies and supporting the possible settlement of Ukraine.
During their oval office meeting, Sir Kerr gave Trump a letter from King Charles calling on the American president for an unprecedented second visit – a presentation that considered Trump a “great honor”. The President also praised the king as a “wonderful man”, and highlights the importance of preserving strong relations in the United Kingdom and the United States, both the diplomat and economist.
In the subsequent press event, Trump insisted that a “real commercial deal” can be completed “very quickly”, which may protect British exporters from import taxes that affected other American allies, including huge tariffs on steel and aluminum. Sir Kerr has echoed this feeling, on the pretext that the UK and the United States are already “fair, balanced and mutual.”
Besides a possible free trade deal, both leaders took the urgent geopolitical pressure. Trump has confirmed that Ukraine President Voludimir Zelinsky in Washington, although he previously described that Zelinski is “a dictator” – an accusation that Trump now claims he does not remember. Meanwhile, Sir Kerr repeated his willingness to deploy British forces to Ukraine in any internationally supported peace arrangement, but only if he was accompanied by “strong” American security guarantees.
The couple also discussed the UK Agreement planned with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the Shaghus Islands – a step that Trump has indicated was “tending to keep up with.” It is important, the agreement will maintain reaching the strategic military base of the United States of America in Diego Garcia by renting the island to Britain after waiving the sovereignty of the broader archipelago.
Finally, Sir Kiir highlights a separate “economic deal” centered on artificial intelligence, stressing that the investment of artificial intelligence can be the “moon shot of our time” through the acceleration that is likely to accelerate in areas such as cancer treatment.
Although previous attempts to secure a comprehensive free trade agreement for the United States of America have stopped, trading companies and experts welcome signs of rapprochement. William Pine, the head of the British Chambers of Commerce, described the White House talks as an “first step” towards reducing the customs tariff, especially for the main sectors such as cars and pharmaceutical preparations.