Agencies WASHINGTON

After  a meeting with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Washington, US President Donald Trump  has said a deal between the two nations could happen "very quickly" and that he envisaged "a real trade deal", which could see the UK avoid the kind of tariffs the latter has been threatening to impose on some of the other trading partners.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs - import taxes - on many of its allies, including 25% on goods made in the European Union. He also ordered a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US - which could hit the UK.

Asked if Starmer had tried to dissuade the President from ordering tariffs against the UK, BBC quoted Trump as saying: "He tried. He was working hard, I tell you that. He earned whatever the hell they pay him over there." This was Starmer’s first visit to the White House. Both leaders took questions from reporters before and after the talks. The proposed UK-US deal Trump made mention of is expected to be narrow, with an initial focus at least on the technology sector

Ukraine

But the practicalities of a peace plan for Ukraine remained  uncertain. Starmer talked about the importance of "winning the peace" and not merely stopping the fighting. The UK accepts there is no prospect whatsoever of American troops on the ground in Ukraine, but the government would like the US to provide air cover to protect British and other European peacekeepers.

Trump has argued that the presence of Americans in Ukraine extracting the rare earth minerals is expected to be part of the peace deal and will be enough to ensure Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks twice before attempting further advances. Hours later, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky  arrived in the US capital and is expected to sign the minerals deal with Trump, who denied he had ever called the former “dictator”. The security guarantees Ukraine wants will be a key focus at a summit on Sunday hosted by the prime minister in London.

Emmanuel Macron

During a two-day state visit to Portugal, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Europeans to reject becoming “happy vassal” of the US.He called on them to show themselves "more united and strong than ever", AFP and local media reported.