By Armin Sijamić
US President Donald Trump yesterday concluded a two-day visit to the United Kingdom, his second to the country in his second term. Although Prime Minister Keir Starmer is not his first choice in ideological terms, the United Kingdom as an ally is high on the list of priorities.
The US administration's relationship with Starmer could be described as scandalous, and when talking about people who were close to Trump, one can also speak of pure hostility. On Sunday, the world's richest man and former close associate of Trump, Elon Musk, told Britons protesting against Starmer's government: "Either you fight or you die."
Musk has previously criticized Starmer, accusing him of releasing murderers, bringing in migrants, and introducing censorship into public discourse. He has written about this multiple times on his social network X. A new wave of criticism came before Trump's visit to the United Kingdom, and at a time when Starmer's government is facing immense public criticism, following last year's decisive election victory.
Trump did not behave badly towards Starmer as Musk would have wished. He also ignored the dismissal of British ambassador Peter Mandelson, who has good connections with his administration in Washington. Starmer dismissed him due to his connections with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Since Epstein also had ties to Trump, meetings with the British Prime Minister were organized in a way that they could not be disrupted by protests over the case, according to some British media.
Alliance between London and Washington
But the relationship between the two countries is more important than such cases, which Trump might have used for political rivalries elsewhere. That is why Trump was given a spectacular reception, showcasing the full splendor of the British royal family.
Trump, who dislikes protocols of any kind, was delighted with the reception at Windsor Castle with King Charles III. "This is truly one of the greatest honors of my life, such respect for you and such respect for your country," Trump said, and some noted that he broke "complicated" protocol during the visit.
The hosts paid great honor to the US President, but the international public was looking forward to Thursday and his meeting with Starmer and then with the business community on both sides of the Atlantic. Everyone was waiting for formal confirmation that Trump and Starmer were on the path paved by former President Joseph Biden and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak just over two years ago.
Biden and Sunak then discussed technologies that will "shape our future," covering various fields. They then called the cooperation between London and Washington a "21st Century Partnership." This technology, above all, is artificial intelligence, which can help "smaller" countries, in this case the United Kingdom, in a showdown with larger ones.
Starmer and Trump
The confirmation of the partnership between the two countries came yesterday after a meeting at Starmer's country residence, Chequers. The two politicians, with different worldviews, announced to the public that important agreements had been reached in this area. Trump said it was an "unbreakable bond" between the United States and the United Kingdom, which will "dominate" the future of AI technologies together.
Microsoft and Nvidia will invest tens of billions of dollars in the United Kingdom, and Starmer announced investments worth 250 billion British pounds (about 338 million dollars) on both sides of the Atlantic, saying these are the largest investments in his country's history and will create fifteen thousand jobs on the island. Blackstone will invest 100 billion pounds in the UK.
This is a big victory for the shaken Starmer at a time when Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, Trump's favorite British party, is leading in the polls, although yesterday's agreement in the field of AI is a continuation of what the Conservative government was doing. The public has already been informed that AI has become an important tool in US-UK action and that they must close ranks due to China's influence and development.
Trump and Starmer praised the "special relationship" between the two countries, although they disagree on some issues. Trump said he disagrees with London's intention to recognize Palestine as a state, while Starmer could only agree with his approach to Russia and Ukraine, as London seeks pressure on Moscow and the US President proposes a halt to Russian oil purchases.
Russia and China
London's potential recognition of Palestine is important, but not decisive for Washington or Israel. London has been one of Israel's closest allies for decades and assists that country in every way, even when considering recognizing Palestine, and Washington is aware that only its will and the situation on the ground, if these trends continue in the Middle East, will determine the fate of that part of the world.
However, it is crucial for London that Trump changes his policy towards Russia, i.e., that he stands behind Kyiv. Although Trump has never given up his intention for the United States to help Kyiv, his meeting with Putin in Alaska caused confusion among European allies and raised numerous questions.
Starmer received no new information from Trump on the issue of Ukraine. The US President's strategy towards Russia and Ukraine remains largely enigmatic. This is also shown by a brief conversation with a journalist after the meeting with Starmer. When asked if he made a mistake by inviting Putin to Alaska and if he regretted it, he replied "no." When asked if it was time to pressure, intimidate, and sanction Putin, he briefly replied with a nod: "Yes."
Europeans cannot be completely satisfied with such a stance from Trump, especially London, which has wanted to prevent Russia from moving towards Western Europe for centuries. London is not alone in this, and some European powers are now acting contrary to Trump's plans.
Poland is also calling for a change in Trump's policy towards Ukraine. On the day Trump visited the United Kingdom, Warsaw called on European countries to stop buying Russian oil and gas by the end of 2026, offering them assistance. This music to Trump's ears means that American LNG, through existing Polish terminals, would replace Russian natural gas. The call from Warsaw at this moment cannot be seen as anything other than part of current events in Eastern Europe, as the European Union intends to stop importing Russian oil and gas by January 1, 2028.
Trump has no doubt that China is America's greatest enemy. This has been confirmed multiple times by many US officials and documents in the past. Washington now sees Russia as a regional power that cannot compete with it far from its borders.
China can. China's technological and all other development is America's primary concern in the coming years. If Trump and Starmer have differences on the issues of Ukraine and Palestine, they have none on China. Trump's and Starmer's agreement on the accelerated development of artificial intelligence confirms this.
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