Updates: Trump says Putin let him down as he concludes UK visit

Trump’s love of flattery is well documented, a fact that has informed how world leaders approach the US president during his second term.

UK officials have particularly taken his affinity for fanfare to heart during his two-day visit, the first time in history a US president has been granted a second state visit to the country.

On Wednesday, as protesters in London rallied against Trump’s visit, King Charles III hosted the US president at Windsor Castle, kicking off royal treatment that involved 1,500 troops in ceremonial events and a carriage procession through the grounds, followed by a formal state banquet.

As Trump and Starmer were set to speak at Chequers, the prime minister’s residence in the area, they were greeted by British Red Devil paratroopers trailing a massive US flag.

The charm offensive appears to have been effective, with Trump voicing little discontent with the UK during a joint news conference, offering only the mildest criticism of its plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

“Melania and I are tremendously thankful for the wonderful hospitality that you and Lady Starmer have extended today at Chequers – quite the place,” Trump told Starmer, “and grateful beyond words for the spectacular honour of the state visit yesterday at Windsor Castle.”

The Trump administration has long accused Europe and the UK of cracking down on free speech, regarding right-wing voices.

But after the killing of activist Charlie Kirk, the administration and Republicans have faced similar accusations.

When asked about free speech in the UK, Starmer said it is “one of the founding values of the United Kingdom”.

“We protect it justly and fiercely, and always will, and we will bear down on any limits on free speech,” he said. “I draw a limit between free speech and the speech of those that want to peddle paedophilia and suicide social media to children.”

Trump was asked about US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel being taken off the air for his comments related to Kirk. That came amid pressure from a Trump communication official, who vowed to fine broadcasters who aired the programme.

“Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,” Trump said. “Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person.”

Trump signed the deal with the Taliban that led to the US withdrawal of Afghanistan, a chaotic exit overseen by the Biden administration ending in August of 2021.

But now Trump says he wants the Bagram airbase, the lynchpin in the US’s two-decade occupation of the country, back.

“We’re trying to get it back, by the way,” he said. “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back.

“But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” Trump said.

In a response to a reporter’s question, Trump has repeated that Putin has “let me down”.

“He’s killing many people, and he’s losing more people than he’s … killing, and frankly, Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers,” he said.

“You know, it doesn’t affect the United States … unless you end up in a world war over this thing, you could, this was a thing that would have never happened, had I been president,” Trump argued.

“It didn’t happen for four years. Most people agree that it didn’t happen, nor was it supposed to happen, and I spoke to President Putin about Ukraine, it was the apple of his eye … but he would have never done what he did, except that he didn’t respect the leadership of the United States,” he added.

“The Russia situation, I hope we’re going to have some good news for you coming up.”

The US president has been asked about the UK’s plan to join dozens of other countries in recognising a Palestinian state.

Trump initially gave a rambling response, taking credit for the Israeli captives that have already been released from Gaza and expressing support for Israel’s continuation of the war.

“We have to remember October 7, one of the worst, most violent days in the history of the world, not just there in the history of the world,” he said.

He did not mention the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.

Trump, however, finally responded to the UK’s planned recognition: “I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score, one of the few disagreements actually.”

The first question to Starmer is about the UK government’s intention to recognise Palestine as a state soon.

He said, among others:

• We absolutely agree on the need for peace and a roadmap because the situation in Gaza is intolerable.
• The hostages are being held for a very, very long time and they must be freed.
• We need aid to get into Gaza at speed.
• Within the context of a plan for peace … the question of recognition needs to be seen.
• It’s part of that overall package, which hopefully takes us from the appalling situation we are in now to the outcome of a safe and secure Israel, which we do not have, and a viable Palestinian state.

Trump says he is very “honoured” to tell reporters that the US has “solved seven wars … wars that were unsolvable, wars that couldn’t be negotiated or done”.

“The one that I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with (Russia’s) President Putin, but he’s let me down, he’s really let me down. It was going to be Russia and Ukraine, but we’ll see how that turns out”, he said.

“I thought it might be among the easiest of the group. We had settled just about every conflict, and as you know, we’re working very hard on Israel and Gaza, that’s happening over there, complex, but … it’s going to get done … likewise, Russia and Ukraine will get done,” he said.

“But it’s, you never know in war, you know war is a different thing … things happen that are very opposite of what you thought,” Trump said.

“I want to thank NATO and our wonderful head of NATO has really worked very hard to mark for the job they’ve done,” Trump said.

He hailed the alliance for raising the defence spending benchmark for members from 2 percent to 5 percent.

“We appreciate that, and we’re sending a lot of weapons to NATO,” Trump said.

“NATO is paying for those weapons in full, but we’re sending them, and we’re doing a great job of getting them what they need,” he said.

Starmer has so far been heavy with the flattery, saying Trump has “led the way” on peace efforts in Ukraine and Gaza, despite breakthroughs in both conflicts remaining elusive.

Trump is now praising the UK, showing a unified front on a pledge to strengthen ties.

“We’re forever joined, and we are forever friends, and we will always be friends,” Trump said.

“We have also just signed a historic technology prosperity deal, one of a kind, to ensure our countries lead the next great technological revolution side by side,” Trump said.

He hailed new deals on AI, quantum computing and nuclear power.

After referring to the Middle East, Starmer said the two were working to “end the killing in Ukraine”.

“In recent days, Putin has shown his true face, mounting the biggest attack since the invasion began, with yet more bloodshed, yet more innocents killed, and unprecedented violations of NATO airspace”.

“These are not the actions of someone who wants peace”, he said, adding that they had discussed how their defences could “further support Ukraine” and increase the pressure on Russia to get Putin to agree to a lasting peace deal.

Starmer has told reporters that the UK and the US are “united in defence and security … but we’re also united in the pursuit of peace”.

“We are working together to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East. Get the aid in, free the hostages, and ultimately bring Israel and the region back towards a comprehensive plan which can deliver peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he said.

The UK prime minister has kicked off the news conference.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome you to Chequers. This historic second state visit is a moment to celebrate the unique bond between our two countries. But today, we’ve gone far beyond that. We’ve renewed the special relationship for a new era,” he said.

“The United Kingdom and the United States stand together today as first partners on defence, first partners in trade … and now, with a new agreement that we’ve just signed this afternoon, we’re confirming our status as the first partners in science and technology, ready to define this century together, just as we did the last. This tech partnership has the power to change lives.”