Donald Trump warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin had 'really let me down' after he met Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, the final day of the US president's historic UK state visit.
A day after King Charles III treated him to royal pageantry at Windsor Castle, Trump appeared at a news conference with Starmer and spared him the harsh criticism he has doled out to other leaders -- although he suggested the UK leader could use the military to curb immigration.
Starmer meanwhile gently nudged Trump on Ukraine and called for more pressure on Putin, as he tries to bridge the divide between Trump and European allies on Kyiv.
Trump, who has long been friendly with Putin, then issued a rebuke to the Russian leader for continuing the war. "The one that I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with President Putin, but he's let me down," Trump said. "He's really let me down."
He urged European nations to stop buying Russian oil, saying that "if the price of oil comes down, Putin's going to drop out of that war".
Referring to Starmer, Trump said "one of our few disagreements" was over the UK's plan to recognise a Palestinian state.
The US leader, embroiled in an immigration crackdown at home, offered his thoughts on immigration in Britain, revealing: "I told the prime minister I would stop it", even if it meant calling in the military.
But for the rest of the time at the prime minister's official country house north of London, the two leaders seemed on the same page, as Trump hailed America's "unbreakable bond" with Britain and signed a huge tech cooperation deal with Starmer. At the signing ceremony attended by a host of US tech CEOs, Starmer said he and Trump were "leaders who genuinely like each other".
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ