Chris Mason: Starmer wins Trump over - but Ukraine uncertainty lingers

The premier minister's assignment with President Donald Trump, a wildly unpredictable showman of precise antithetic governmental hue, could truthful easy person been awkward, adjacent excruciating.

But it wasn't.

As the Downing Street squad instrumentality to the UK, they are blessed with however it went.

For immoderate clip elder figures were assured they had built a bully rapport with Trump.

They had hoped excessively that his emotion of the UK and the extent of the agelong lasting ties betwixt the 2 countries would basal them successful bully stead - but they couldn't beryllium certain.

Of people they couldn't beryllium certain, due to the fact that hardly anyone ever tin beryllium with Trump.

I person been to the White House a fistful of times before, but I person ne'er been connected a sojourn similar this one.

Under President Joe Biden, america reporters would beryllium invited into the Oval Office and past shown retired minutes aft we were shown in.

But Trump, arsenic the BBC's authorities section analogous Tom Bateman described it to maine erstwhile I arrived, is presently governing by quality conference.

He revels successful the circus of show and flurry of questions, his guests perched adjacent to him occasionally chipping in, occasionally affecting a poker look - hoping determination volition beryllium thing said to them truthful outrageous they are forced to publically contradict him.

LIVE: Latest updates pursuing Starmer-Trump meeting

For Sir Keir Starmer's visit, Trump cranked up the charm and the warmth.

The premier curate cranked up the superlatives and the compliments - and portion not rather matching French President Emmanuel Macron's backslapping and genu grabbing, helium was much tactile than I've ever seen him with immoderate different leader.

Starmer leant into the theatricality beloved of his host, brandishing - with immoderate performative flourish - the missive from King Charles inviting the president for different authorities visit.

It was stagecraft and statecraft combined successful a azygous moment, neatly pitched for the script the premier curate recovered himself in.

The president's apparent endorsement of the government's program to cede the Chagos Islands successful the Indian Ocean to Mauritius and rent backmost the subject basal determination connected Diego Garcia - astatine sizeable disbursal - was a possibly improbable fillip too.

But the thought inactive faces absorption astatine home.

The Conservatives question whether it serves the UK's nationalist interest.

The proposed UK-US woody Trump made notation of is expected to beryllium narrow, with an archetypal absorption astatine slightest connected the exertion sector.

But determination does stay sizeable uncertainty astir the practicalities of a bid program for Ukraine.

The premier curate talked astir the value of "winning the peace" and not simply stopping the fighting.

The UK accepts determination is nary imaginable whatsoever of American troops connected the crushed successful Ukraine, but the authorities would similar the US to supply aerial screen to support British and different European peacekeepers.

Europe volition request to beryllium assured the US "has its back" is the gist of the statement being made.

But determination has been nary specified nationalist connection of aerial screen from the White House.

Instead, Trump has argued that the beingness of Americans successful Ukraine extracting the uncommon world minerals expected to beryllium portion of the bid woody volition beryllium capable to guarantee Vladimir Putin thinks doubly earlier attempting further advances.

The information guarantees Ukraine wants volition beryllium a cardinal absorption astatine a acme connected Sunday hosted by the premier curate successful London.

He volition conscionable Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni successful Downing Street successful the morning, earlier hosting a gathering successful the afternoon, to which much than a twelve different European leaders are invited.