Trump flirts with Putin - can Starmer get him back to the West?

Trump flirts with Putin - can Starmer get him back to the West?

It is time that Keir Starmer takes its next step. The British Prime Minister has established a friendly relationship with Donald Trump for months and has made numerous compliments since the election in November. Trump himself described Strand as "very nice".

The challenge in Washington

On Thursday, Strait could finally pull tangible results from his visit to Washington. For a prime minister who appears as a possible bridge builder for the future of Ukraine, this visit represents the greatest foreign policy challenge. Strand has the ability to dissuade Trump from his confrontational tendencies and the worries of Westens to clarify.

a risky undertaking

The alternative option looks darker: Straers could find that he has built a bridge into nothing. He and Trump are not natural political allies; Your past is stressed and there is a striking gap in your worldviews. While Strander always emphasizes the "special relationship" between Great Britain and the USA, this relationship becomes increasingly shaky. Both have different interests.

"The missions could not be higher," said Claire Ainsley, Starrmers former managing director of politics, to CNN. "(The visit) is a big test for relationships between Europe and the United States as well as between Europe and the United Kingdom."

urgency in relation to Ukraine

Trump's attitude towards Ukraine has dipped this centuries -old transatlantic alliance in uncertainty, as well as American relationships with NATO. The President praised the progress of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, attacked Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj and largely excluded from negotiations on the end of the conflict.

Straiter follows the French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Washington on Monday to clarify these difficult relationships, and he will prepare the way for Selenskyj's visit to Washington on Friday. All three try to secure a version of peace that is acceptable for both Ukraine and Europe: a peace that does not give up the occupied Ukrainian territory and which the USA can maintain.

diplomatic efforts and future security

Great Britain and France lead the diplomatic efforts to put together a possible European peace force that could move into Ukraine if a ceasefire agreement is achieved. However, the plan depends heavily on an American security presence that is probably geared towards air force and will be stationed in a nearby NATO country like Poland or Romania.

On Monday, Trump informed the reporters that "Europe will make sure that nothing happens after an agreement". However, striker insists that Europe cannot carry this load alone and that American support is the only way to prevent Putin from attacking again.

urgent will try to convince Trump to involve Selenskyj in talks about the future of his country. This is the most fundamental demand in Europe to Trump; The continent is very concerned about a pro-Moscow deal that could be imposed on Selenskyj.

an unbalanced field

Straße enters an unbalanced playing field. His problem is obvious: this visit is much more important to him than for Trump. The president is of little interest in European powers; He threatened to raise significant tariffs and turned against decades of American foreign policy that put the security of Europe at Washington.

Before his trip, Strand presented a significant gift by announcing on Tuesday that Great Britain will increase its defense spending by 2027 to 2.5 % and 3 % by the next decade. This represents an unexpected acceleration of the goals of his government and means massive expenses. Experts say this is urgently necessary because the British military is severely weakened. An extensive review of the British army will soon be completed, and nobody expects the results to be positive.

a complicated relationship

The talks on Thursday will also put the two -track approach in Europe to Trump.

A camp wants to withdraw. Friedrich Merz, probably the next leader in Germany, said after his election victory on Sunday that Europe should reach "independence" from the United States, and criticized American interventions in his country's politics.

Straers like Macron and the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni belongs to the other group; He is convinced that Trump, if you really convince him, can be saved out of Putin's hug.

At least few other leaders can achieve this. "There will be no choice for the foreseeable future. We have a stable, social democratic government. Therefore, we can make an integral contribution to these discussions that other leaders may find difficult," said Ainsley, the former director of politics.