British troops in post-war Ukraine will be able to "fend for themselves", Donald Trump said, during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to Washington.
Ahead of the talks between the two leaders, the US president was asked by reporters in the Oval Office whether he would come to the aid of British troops stationed in Ukraine if they were attacked by Russia. Trump said "if they need help, I will always be with the British. But they don't need help," A2 CNN reports.
Britain is not asking Trump to put American boots on the ground in Ukraine, the UK planned to request aerial surveillance and intelligence support, and in the latter case, air cover, if Putin were to attack Ukraine again, as Starmer believes he could.
But Trump suggested that a US-Ukraine deal to extract critical minerals from the war-torn country - expected to be signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to the White House on Friday - would be a stop in itself to the outbreak of war, writes a2 CNN.
"I don't believe Putin will break his word. I don't think he'll come back when we make a deal. I think the deal will hold. Now they'll have security. You'll have security. You'll have soldiers. I know France wants to be there," said Donald Trump.
On the minerals deal, Trump said: "We're a support vehicle because we're going to be there, we're going to be working in the country. This is a great thing economically for them because ... we're going to have a lot of people there ... so I just don't think you're going to have any problems," A2 CNN reports.
UK officials have backed the minerals deal for this reason and have not made clear how much more Britain is seeking on top of the current US presence in Europe. But the Starmer administration is seeking a continuation of America's commitment to NATO. (A2 Televizion)
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