Transcript of UK flatters Donald Trump with invitation from King for second state visit | BBC News

Sakeer Starmer has been welcomed to the White House by Donald Trump, with both leaders hailing their talks as a major success, saying they've made progress towards ending the war in Ukraine and on agreeing a trade deal between Britain and the US. At a news conference, Mr. Trump said he was particularly honored for himself and his country to have been presented with a letter from the King, inviting him for a second state visit to the UK. Our political editor, Chris Mason, joins us live now from Washington. You were there, Chris. How did it go?

Rita, this was a meeting that mattered the Prime Minister, the guest of a fellow leader, the most unpredictable of his era. Would Sakeer Starmer be able to establish a relationship a rapport where so many other world leaders appear to be failing. And on the substance, what about Ukraine and what about trade? Here is what's been happening here this evening. It is perhaps the ultimate political stage and backdrop and is now home to a president who's love and command of that stage is reshaping the world before our eyes. The Prime Minister arrived here at the White House for one of the landmark moments of his time in office so far. Governing by news conference is rapidly becoming the norm here. Today was no different. For a President who likes a theatrical flourish, wish the Prime Minister had one in his inside pocket.

Can I present a letter from the King?

Thank you very much. Am I supposed to read it right now?

Yeah, please do.

Oh, that's well. Well, that is really nice. I must make sure his signature's on that. Can you tell us what it says, Mr. President? A beautiful man, a wonderful man. Perhaps you'd like to say what that very important paragraph?

Yes. This is a letter from His Majesty, the King. It's an invitation for a second state visit. This is really special. This has never happened before. This is unprecedented. I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us. This is a very special letter. I think the last state visit was a tremendous success. It was. His Majesty, the King, wants to make this even better than that. This is truly historic.

That says it Winsor. That's really something.

Yes. What I haven't got yet is your answer. The answer is yes.

What do the Socialist human rights lawyer and brash real estate tycoon actually have in common?

He loves his country, and so do I. That's our common theme. He loves his country, and I love our country. We also have two countries that have gotten along for the longest period of time. Number one ally on each side.

Ukraine is a key talking point here, and there's a key question at the heart of it. Mr. President, could you be persuaded as part of a peace settlement in Ukraine to provide air cover, a backstop security position to the contributions that Europe might make as well?

Well, so President Zelenskyy is coming to see me on Friday, Friday morning, and we're going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides because it's really going to get us into that country. We'll be working there. We'll have a lot of people work in there. And so in that sense, it's very good. It's a backstop, you could say. I don't think anybody's going to play around if we're there with a lot of workers.

We've already indicated that we'll play our full part in making sure that any deal, if there is one, and I hope there is, and I think this is a historic moment to make sure it's a lasting deal. We're about to have a discussion about how we can make that work.

What of the President's description of Ukraine's leader? Mr. President, do you still think that Mr. Zelensky is a dictator?

Did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question.

Trade is on the agenda, too.

There's plenty of countries that are slapped with tariffs, import taxes by America. What of the UK?

I have a great warm spot for your country.

Our trade, obviously, is It's fair and balanced. In fact, you've got a bit of a surplus, so we're in a different position there.

Does that mean there won't be any sanctions on the UK?

We'll have to take a look. We're going to have a good discussion today, and we have some very talented people on the other side.

Next, we were kicked out. They went into their private discussions and emerged a few hours later for a news conference where the President said the Prime Minister was a tough negotiator, the war in Ukraine will end fairly soon or not at all. He was asked Had Kiyastama persuaded him not to put tariffs on the UK?

He tried. He was working hard, I'll tell you that. He yearned whatever the hell they pay him over there. But he tried. I think there's a very good chance that in the case of these two great friendly countries, I think we could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn't be necessary. We'll see. But he earned whatever they pay him here in today. He was working hard at lunch, and I'm very receptive to it. I think in all fairness, in all seriousness, I think we have a very good chance of arriving at a very good deal.

The US-UK relationship has always been close, but there are no guarantees with the new resident here. But for now, at least, the Prime Minister's escaped the barbs and frost others have encountered.

Well, in a moment, we'll talk to our economics editor, Fizal Islam, who's here with me, and to our North America editor, Sarah Smith. But Chris, first to you, what else was discussed?

This was an extraordinary couple of hours, Rita. I've never quite seen the Prime Minister being as tactile as he was in public with a fellow leader, perhaps picking up on a bit of the tactics of the French President the other day and recognizing that there's a President here who delights in the public stage, delights in nonchalantly running away from remarks that he's made and caused outrage by just a matter of days or weeks earlier. Hence my question to him about his remarks about President Zelensky. Then also in President Trump, a man who is a one-man news machine, so throws out views on all sorts of things the whole time. A couple of other things, for instance, the row that we've brought you about the Chagos Islands, that archipelago in the Indian Ocean, the UK's plan to hand it over to Mauritius. Real concern from some at home and abroad about that. Perhaps surprisingly, the President saying in the exchanges tonight that he thinks the deal in which the military base there would be rented back is probably a good one. There's been a thought that it might be vetoed by the Trump administration. It sounded like it was endorsed by the President.

The Prime Minister will leave Washington tonight, relieved because they acknowledged his team that, yes, they'd prepared hard for today, but they didn't have the faintest idea how it might go, that they do seem to have an established and unlikely warmth and connection between them, the two men. There weren't any flashpoints or moments that that are excruciating, which are always possible when you're there with President Trump. And there will be that big state visit to come as well. On Ukraine, though, we see still the potential for division. The President saying that he thinks that there is something amounting to a backstop because there'll be American presence in Ukraine as part of this Minerals deal that will be signed here tomorrow when President Zelensky is in Washington. But it doesn't look certain yet that Britain and Europe We're not necessarily convinced that that will amount to enough for the peacekeepers that the UK and others are likely to offer if there is a deal. Quite a night here.

Indeed. Many thanks. Chris Mason there in Washington. Well, Faisal, who's with me. Faisal, President Trump, we heard him there saying that there was a good chance of a trade deal with the UK, and quickly, does that mean we can rest easy?

Well, I think number 10, number 11 will be delighted about these words about a very good trade deal, avoiding tariffs. I think I was struck by the use by the Prime Minister of the term economic deal. Other cabinet ministers are using that tonight. It's not quite the same thing that we were discussing after Brexit, under Boris Johnson, under Theresa May, which would be a general free trade agreement. It's about avoiding extra tariffs that look like they are going to be levied on Canada, on Mexico, on China, and on the European Union. That is a good thing, but it's a different thing to some of what we've been discussing. I'm also struck by the presence and the focus on the vice President, JD Vance, in negotiating this. This will mean that there are some opportunities in the tech industries, but there will be some quid pro quo here, perhaps on the UK Digital Services Tax that raises a billion pounds a year, perhaps on the Online Harms Bill, which he raised in the oval office, I think, as being problematic US tech companies. Are we willing to give some of those things up? There's the bigger issue, even if we avoid direct tariffs, and it's still an if, what about a globalized tariff war that's still going to affect an open economy like the UK?

Faisal, you're presenting Newsnight tonight. You're a busy person.

What have you got on? We'll be digging into this with a former US ambassador to Europe, with a former Trump official and the satirist Armando Iannucci over on BBC Two at 10: 30 and on iPlayer BBC News 9.

We'll see you later. Thank you very much, Faizal Islam there. And to Sarah Smith now, who's in Washington for us. Sarah, tomorrow it is President Zelensky's turn to visit the White House. How likely is that deal over Ukraine's minerals?

Well, President Trump seems convinced that President Zelensky is coming here in order to sign that, that that has already been agreed. For Ukraine, that is very much the price of admission, I think, to be able to join the talks as to what a ceasefire or a peace deal in Ukraine might look We know that President Zelensky had at first tried to insist that there would be security guarantees for Ukraine to back up any ceasefire or peace deal contained in that minerals agreement, and that is not going to happen. You heard President Trump earlier saying the simple fact that there was a deal, that there would be American companies working in and investing in Ukraine should be a security backstop in itself. Now, Ukraine will not agree with that, and clearly, Kyrstam and the UK don't agree with that either, but that will be a matter for talks. President Trump was being remarkably complementary, though, about President Zelenskyy today, much more so than usual, saying that he likes him a great deal, he respects him, talking about how bravely he and his country have fought against the Russians and how Donald Trump respects that. As you heard earlier, he seems to have forgotten ever having called him a dictator, which he posted on social media.

The talks tomorrow will focus on looking ahead beyond this Minerals' agreement to what a ceasefire or a peace deal could look like. On that, Ukraine and the US do remain fairly far apart. But this is President Zelensky's opportunity for the first time, face to face, to talk to Donald Trump about it.

Sarah Smith, thank you very much.