US President Donald Trump has indicated he is ready to accept a UK proposal for an agreement over the Chagos Islands, saying it appeared to be “a good deal”.
Trump’s comments came as he greeted his British counterpart Sir Keir Starmer at the White House on Thursday, ahead of bilateral talks between the two leaders over the future of Ukraine.
Britain is seeking US approval for the terms of the deal that would hand sovereignty of the UK overseas territory in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, in exchange for securing the medium-term future of a crucial UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago.
However the deal has been attacked by rightwing politicians in the UK, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and allies of Trump in the US.
“I have to see the details but it doesn’t seem bad,” Trump said. “I think we will be inclined to go along with your country.”
Starmer will on Thursday urge Trump to provide US military cover to secure peace in Ukraine and to make it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that any future aggression from Moscow would be repelled.
The UK prime minister will use the talks — which include one-on-one discussions and a lunch — to reassure Trump that Europe will “step up” and bolster its own defences, including providing troops on the ground to help secure any peace in Ukraine.
In return he wants Trump to provide a US “backstop” to support a European stabilisation force in Ukraine, including air cover, heavy lift aircraft, aerial intelligence and missiles. Starmer said that without such cover, Putin would “come again” for Ukraine.
On Thursday, however, Trump declined to commit to providing any such military backstop, saying that the US would provide an effective deterrent for potential Russian aggression by having its workers in Ukraine under a proposed minerals deal with Kyiv.
Asked if he would provide military support to UK peacekeepers, he said: “The British don’t need much help.”
The prime minister announced an increase in UK military spending from 2.3 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent in 2027 — an uplift of £6bn — ahead of the White House meeting, as a signal to Trump of his intent to lead a European rearmament programme.
On Thursday, Trump said he had accepted an invitation from King Charles to make a state visit to the UK, calling the monarch “a great, great gentleman”.
Read the full article here
