Earlier this week President Donald Trump attended his 2nd state visit to the United Kingdom, having much to discuss with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Here’s a run-down of their talks.
STATE VISITS
State visits are integral for countries that aim to strengthen their relations with other countries. They may either be planned for symbolic purposes or serious negotiations over dire economic, political or security issues.
ON THE TABLE
The Guardian published a summarized list of what Trump and Starmer discussed during the state visit so let’s take a look.
Russia/Ukraine War
- Trump delivered a pointed statement toward Russian President Vladimir Putin saying, “He would have never done what he did, except that he didn’t respect the leadership of the United States.”
- Putin has refused to cease drone strikes on Ukraine, stalling peace efforts
Gaza
- Trump & Starmer reportedly disagree over the crisis in Gaza as Starmer attempted to avoid the topic altogether saying Hamas does not “want peace, they don’t want the ceasefire.”
- Israeli troops have advanced into Gaza City with intentions to defeat remaining 3,000 Hamas fighters
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reported to have said that time for a peace deal is ‘running out’
Online Safety Act
- Largely criticized by allies of Trump, Starmer moved to defend the act saying, “I draw a limit between free speech and the speech of those that want to peddle pedophilia and suicide social media to children.”
- Critics argue the act targets American tech companies
- The act went into effect in July as part of the UK’s initiative for age-verified internet
UK Defense Spending
- Starmer made a cut to international aid to increase defense spending, prompting significant backlash from the cabinet
- Trump offered congratulations saying, “I want to congratulate the UK on making the vital commitment to spend 5% of GDP on defense at the NATO summit this year.”
Tariffs
- Trump offered a statement on tariff negotiations with Starmer, calling the Prime Minister a tough negotiator.
- No mention has since been made about the proposed deal to lessen tariffs on British steel.
U.S. Control Over Bagram
- In 2021, Bagram was the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan. Trump has now made it known that he wants to reestablish the airbase.
- “We’re going to keep Bagram – one of the biggest airbases in the world. One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
US AND BAGRAM
The former U.S. airbase is currently occupied by the Taliban. They’ve taken it over since the American withdrawal from Kabul in 2021. The base was a central point during the war in the Middle East.
Trump commented on how the U.S. was originally going to keep Bagram within the deal he had struck with the Taliban before Biden took office and the withdrawal commenced.
“We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we were going to leave it with strength and dignity. We were going to keep Bagram Air Base – one of the biggest airbases in the world,” he said. “We gave it to them for nothing.”
Trump has alluded to the Taliban’s increasing struggles as a point in which they may allow the U.S. military to return; those struggles including an economic crisis, internal instability and combating militant groups. The base is highly valued because of its regional proximity to China and Central Asia. The Orion Policy Institute explains in a policy brief that the base “provides access to combatting the ever-evolving terrorist threat in and around Afghanistan.”
U.S. envoys have reached an agreement with the Taliban so far as prisoner exchanges are concerned otherwise, there has been no formal tie between the U.S. and the Taliban to advance a negotiation yet.
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Katelyn Sims is a senior at Howard Payne University, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science with emphasis in American political studies, global studies and jurisprudence. She is also a student in the university’s Guy D. Newman Honors Academy, as well as a prominent member of the Student Speaker Bureau speech and debate team. Following graduation, Katelyn will pursue a career in the field of U.S. foreign policy.
Katelyn has worked as a news writer and marketing coordinator with Brownwood News since 2023. Her column The Truth Will Set You Free is intended for all people from all walks of life. Katelyn aspires to inform readers of major U.S. political and legislative activity with an unbiased analysis that engages with political ideologies on all sides of the aisle. She believes the public ought to exercise their free will to cultivate personalized opinions on controversial issues without the influence of mainstream media.
