Keir Starmer sees ‘value’ in Trump’s pursuit of Ukrainian mineral rights deal

WASHINGTON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there is “value” in an agreement that President Donald Trump is pursuing on Ukrainian mineral rights to repay some of the $500 billion in military aid that the U.S. has sent in support of the country’s war against Russia.

Starmer, who met with Trump at the White House on Thursday to discuss efforts at ending the Russia-Ukraine war and a possible trade deal with the U.S., said in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt that economic ties between Washington and Kyiv could be considered a form of security.

“I can see the value in the approach in relation to minerals,” Starmer said in the interview. “That’s a matter between President Trump and President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. But I can see very clearly the argument that President Trump makes in relation to minerals, and I can also see the validity of his points when he says that if there is a deal on minerals then the U.S. has economic interests in Ukraine, which, if you like, form at least one element of any security guarantee.”

He added, “That, in its own right, is an important aspect.”

Watch the full interview on “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT.

Trump has been vocal about his interest in settling the yearslong conflict in Ukraine and talked about compensation for the billions of dollars in aid that Washington has provided Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. But he has shied away from committing to any security guarantees, saying this week that he would ask Europe to take the lead on that.

Earlier in the day, Trump warned that if a peace deal “doesn’t happen quickly, it may not happen at all.”

The Starmer-Trump meeting comes at a sensitive time for the United Kingdom as the prime minister commits to sending British troops to Ukraine to help secure a “lasting peace” if a peace deal with Russia is reached.

“The stakes, they couldn’t be higher,” Starmer said during a joint news conference with Trump at the White House. He said it was essential that Ukraine be “backed by strength that will stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin coming back for more.”

Starmer, standing beside Trump, insisted that any deal should put to rest Russian ambitions and committed to putting “boots on the ground and planes in the sky” to limit future incursions into Ukrainian territory.

Trump offered praise to Starmer, greeting him warmly at several junctures throughout the day. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting and continued their discussions on Ukraine and a possible trade deal over lunch, Trump said during the news conference.

Starmer is a “special man,” Trump said, adding that they “get along famously.”

The meeting came a day before the president is scheduled to meet with Zelenskyy in Washington, as Trump hopes the U.S and Ukraine can sign an agreement on rare mineral rights.