LONDON — President Donald Trump traded pageantry for politics Thursday as he ended a lavish stay hosted by Britain's King Charles III at Windsor Castle and met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his country residence, Chequers.
Hailing the “unbreakable bond” between the two nations, Trump said ties between America and the U.K. were “priceless” and that the two governments were “making those ties closer than ever before.”
Starmer has lavished Trump with praise and royal pomp in a bid to curry favor with Washington as Britain looks to deepen its economic ties with the United States, ease tariffs and hold difficult conversations on a range of thorny issues — including Israel’s offensive in Gaza and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The pair held a joint news conference in one of Chequers' grandest rooms Thursday ahead of Trump's return home and continued to emphasize their countries' long and close ties. They also avoided commenting on each other's domestic policies, which is customary, when they were asked about hot-button issues such as immigration, free speech and the recognition of the state of Palestine.
Asked when he would tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza, Trump said he wanted hostages to be freed.
“I don’t want the hostages used as human shields, which is what Hamas is threatening to do,” he said.
Trump acknowledged that the U.K.’s expected recognition of a Palestinian state was one of his “few disagreements” with Starmer.
Starmer said the situation in Gaza is "intolerable," adding that the hostages have been held for a long time and "must be freed."
"We need aid to get into Gaza at speed. And so it’s within that context of a plan for peace, which we’re working hard on ... that the question of recognition needs to be seen," he said. "It’s part of that overall package which hopefully takes us from the appalling situation we’re in now to the outcome of a safe and secure Israel, which we do not have."
They agreed that more pressure to end the war in Ukraine needed to be placed on Russian President Vladimir Putin, although neither committed to new sanctions.
Falling oil prices would force Putin's hand, Trump said, adding that "Putin is going to drop out" of the war in Ukraine if that happened.
"He's going to have no choice," he added.
Trump said last week that he was ready to enact "major sanctions on Russia" as soon as all NATO countries stop buying Russian oil. Hungary and Slovakia have continued buying Russian fossil fuels.
Starmer also said the issue was "a challenge to Europe."
"There are a number of European countries which are too reliant on energy from Russia," he said.
Earlier, Starmer was all smiles as he and his wife, Victoria, greeted Trump at Chequers, a 16th century manor house that is the prime minister's official country residence, 40 miles north of London.
There, they met with American and British business leaders, including the chief executives of Nvidia, Microsoft, Rolls-Royce and Boeing, before they signed a multibillion-dollar tech prosperity agreement that British officials hope will bring thousands of jobs and sweeping investment to the U.K.
Trump said ahead of the signing that the deal had been “long in the making” and thanked Starmer for his hard work to get it over the line. “With this agreement, our cherished friendship with the United Kingdom is getting stronger and stronger,” he said.
Starmer said the deal marked “a great day for the special relationship.” He earlier showed Trump items from the archive of Winston Churchill, who coined the term.
The meeting took place after Trump woke up in Windsor Castle after a night of royal opulence and a lavish state dinner for 160 dignitaries and business leaders.
A day of unprecedented pomp treated Trump — the first elected politician to be invited for two state visits — and his wife to the full array of British pageantry and the largest ceremonial military welcome for a state visit in living memory.
“Our countries have the closest defense, security and intelligence relationship ever known,” Charles said in his speech addressing Trump at the state dinner. “In two World Wars, we fought together to defeat the forces of tyranny. Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the king early Thursday "for his steadfast support," with sanctions on Russia and security guarantees for Kyiv remaining as sticking points among Washington, London and European powers.
The British government has meanwhile been increasingly critical of Israel’s deadly offensive in Gaza, including its new assault on famine-stricken Gaza City. The U.K. is soon expected to join a number of countries in recognizing Palestinian statehood, a move that has outraged Israeli officials.
Each leader is dealing with a febrile atmosphere at home. Trump arrived in Britain in the wake of Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting, while his host has been beset by far-right protests, sinking poll ratings and a recent scandal that led to a question about Jeffrey Epstein during Thursday's news conference.
Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, was fired last week following revelations about his ties to Epstein.
Asked about the firing, Trump said he wasn't familiar with Mandelson. At Windsor Castle two days earlier, protesters had projected images of Trump alongside Epstein in an act in which four people were arrested.
And on the streets of London, thousands attended a protest march that culminated with a rally outside Parliament.
In recent polling highlighting British sentiments toward him, 70% of Britons said they disliked Trump and 44% said they thought his state visit should be canceled.
