Starmer to visit US for second time as prime minister – but will he meet Harris and Trump?
Sir Keir Starmer will travel to Washington this coming week for a bilateral meeting with President Biden.
The trip to the White House, on Friday, will be the prime minister’s second visit since he was elected in July.
In a statement, the White House said the leaders would focus on “global issues of mutual interest”.
“The leaders will have an in-depth discussion… including continuing robust support to Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression, securing a hostage release and ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, protecting international shipping in the Red Sea from Iranian-backed Houthi threats, and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the White House statement said.
It continued: “They will also discuss opportunities to strengthen US-UK cooperation to secure supply chains and increase climate resilience. President Biden will underscore the importance of continuing to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.”
The UK is heavily invested in several live geopolitical challenges which all predate Sir Keir’s premiership.
The hope, according to sources, is that mutual progress can be made on the various challenges with the outgoing Biden administration.
Britain and the US have cooperated closely on Ukraine, leading a Western alliance that has, at times, shown some reluctance in its continued support against Russian aggression.
On protecting international shipping in the Red Sea against continued Houthi attacks from Yemen, the UK has been a key partner for the US in a mission that’s shown limited success.
The potential for some divergence between the two leaders could come over Gaza.
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July: Starmer backs ‘special relationship’
Last week, the UK announced that it would suspend the export of some arms to Israel because of the risk that they could be used in non-compliance with international humanitarian law.
US government lawyers have not come to the same conclusions about how Israel is using weapons in Gaza but this week a State Department spokesman said the UK was making a sovereign decision that it was entirely entitled to make.
Notably, however, a foreign policy advisor to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump struck a different tone.
Robert O’Brien – who is likely to be in a Trump White House if he wins in November – said that a UK-US special relationship would be under strain if the UK restricted weapons sales to Israel.
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The relationship between Mr Biden and Sir Keir reflects their political alignment. During his first visit to the White House, just days after taking office, President Biden, who was then the Democratic candidate for November’s election, spoke warmly of the much coveted “special relationship”.
“I kind of see you guys as the knot tying the transatlantic alliance together, the closer you are with Europe. We know where you are, you know where we are,” Mr Biden told Sir Keir.
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No meetings have been announced between Sir Keir and vice president Kamala Harris, the new Democratic Party candidate for the November election, though it’s possible she will be part of the bilateral meetings with President Biden.
A significant moment would be a meeting between Sir Keir and Mr Trump.
No plans have been announced but such a meeting would be seen as diplomatically savvy, especially if a Harris meeting materialises, and it would not be without precedent.
Former prime minister David Cameron met Republican nominee Mitt Romney in July 2012 and Gordon Brown met Barack Obama when he was the Democratic Party candidate in 2008.
Sir Keir’s visit comes at the end of a week in which US secretary of state Antony Blinken will meet Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London.
Gaza will be a key focus but Mr Blinken will travel with ambassador Katherine Tai, the US trade representative.
Trade and technology are set to be on the agenda too.
The UK is still seeking to formalise a post-Brexit trade partnership with the US.
A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who leaked classified Pentagon information has been jailed for 15 years.
Jack Teixeira shared documents that contained information about the war in Ukraine on the messaging platform Discord.
The leak exposed information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Kyiv’s soldiers.
He began sharing the documents in 2022, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported, and had held top-secret security clearance since the year before.
Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of wilful retention and transmission of national defence information following his arrest in the most consequential national security case in years.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit, he showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by US district judge Indira Talwani.
Before being sentenced, he apologised for his actions, saying: “I wanted to say I’m sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused.”
He referenced the “maelstrom” he created and added: “I understand all the responsibility and consequences fall upon my shoulders alone and accept whatever that will bring.”
Afterwards, Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, hugged one of his lawyers and looked toward his family and smiled, before being led away.
Jack Teixeira, a member of the US Air National Guard. Pic: Reuters
The security breach raised alarm over America’s ability to protect its most closely guarded secrets and left the Biden administration scrambling to try to contain the fallout.
The leaks were also embarrassing for the Pentagon which tightened controls and disciplined members who failed to take necessary action over the 22-year-old’s suspicious behaviour.
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A court sketch of Teixeira. Pic: AP
Assistant US attorney Jared Dolan said Teixeira’s sentencing would “be a cautionary tale for the men and women in the US military”.
Teixeira’s own lawyers said that while his actions were criminal, they were never intended to “harm the United States”.
A smashed tablet recovered from bins near Teixeira’s home. Pic: AP
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“Instead, his intent was to educate his friends about world events to make certain they were not misled by misinformation,” the lawyers claimed.
Prosecutors in court said he tried to cover his tracks as they found a smashed tablet, laptop and Xbox in a rubbish bin at his house.
Teixeira, who was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, worked as a cyber transport systems specialist – an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks.
Donald Trump is expected to name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, according to US media reports.
Mr Trump, who will be inaugurated on 20 January 2025, could still change his mind about the appointment, three sources familiar with the selection process have told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.
The secretary of state serves as the president’s chief foreign affairs adviser and the country’s top diplomat.
The New York Times was the first to report that Mr Trump plans to select Mr Rubio for the position.
During Mr Trump’s first term in the White House between 2017 and 2021, Mr Rubio co-sponsored legislation that would make it harder for the then-president to withdraw from the NATO alliance.
Earlier this year he was one of 15 Republican senators to vote against a $95bn (£74bn) military aid package to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, which was eventually passed in April.
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How Trump won the election
Mr Rubio, who would be the first Latino to hold the role, was arguably the most hawkish option on Mr Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state.
In the past, the 53-year-old has advocated for muscular foreign policy with respect to the US’ geopolitical rivals, including China, Iran and Cuba.
However, over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Mr Trump’s views.
The president-elect accuses past White House administrations of leading America into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy.
The new administration will confront a world more volatile and dangerous than it was when Mr Trump first took office in 2017, with wars now raging in Ukraine and the Middle East
The Ukraine crisis will be high on Mr Rubio’s agenda.
Mr Rubio has said in recent interviews that Ukraine needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on regaining all territory that Russia has taken in the last decade.
“I’m not on Russia’s side – but unfortunately the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement,” Mr Rubio said in September.
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What could Trump win mean for Ukraine?
Meanwhile, after it was reported Mr Rubio could be set to become secretary of state, a Trump ally told NBC News: “While Marco is a little more hawkish than the incoming president and vice president, he’s actually not as far away from them as many people might assume at first blush.
“He’s become far more aligned with the president on issues regarding tariffs. He has a similar stand on the China issue, and he even voted against the last round of Ukraine funding.”
Mr Rubio’s selection holds domestic as well as international significance.
Mr Trump beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 5 November election in part by winning over large numbers of Latinos, who had voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in previous election cycles.
By selecting Mr Rubio for a key policy role, Mr Trump may help consolidate gains among Latinos and make clear that they have a place at the highest levels of his administration.
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Mr Rubio also was one of three final contenders for Mr Trump’s vice-presidential pick.
The president-elect ultimately chose US Senator JD Vance of Ohio, a hard-right figure who is known for his isolationist foreign policy positions.
Mr Rubio is not the first Trump administration appointment to be reported following the election.
The incoming president has announced Representative Mike Waltz as his national security adviser, while his presidential campaign manager Susie Wiles will become his chief of staff.
On Sunday, he named immigration hard-liner Tom Homan as his “border czar”.
US
Kremlin denies Trump and Putin call discussing Ukraine – as Biden to urge president-elect ‘not to walk away’ from Kyiv
The Kremlin has denied Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin in a phone call the day after the presidential election.
The US president-elect reportedly urged the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of America’s sizeable military presence in Europe during the conversation on Thursday, according to The Washington Post and Reuters, citing sources familiar with the call.
According to several other sources, the pair went on to discuss the goal of peace on the continent, as well as the prospect of a further call soon to look into the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
Follow live: Putin has no plans to speak to Trump
But on Monday, the Kremlin denied the reports and spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin has no specific plans to speak to Mr Trump at present.
“This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it’s just false information,” Mr Peskov said. “There was no conversation.”
Asked if Mr Putin had plans for any contact with Mr Trump, Mr Peskov said: “There are no concrete plans yet.”
On Friday, the Kremlin said Mr Putin was ready to discuss Ukraine with Mr Trump – but that did not mean he was willing to alter Moscow’s demands – namely that Ukraine drops its ambitions to join NATO and surrenders the four territories currently held by Russia.
The Washington Post said two sources indicated the Ukrainian government was informed of the call between Mr Trump and Mr Putin – and did not object to the conversation taking place.
However, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it was “impossible” that Ukraine would have endorsed such a call and that reports otherwise were “false”.
When asked about the call, Mr Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said: “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”
Trump at his election watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden, who will hand over power on 20 January, will warn Mr Trump and Congress not to abandon Ukraine, according to one of the president’s top officials.
The president-elect and sitting president will meet on Wednesday in the Oval Office, a week after Mr Trump beat Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the election.
In an interview with CBS News, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: “President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe.”
President Joe Biden walks to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Pic: AP
Under Mr Biden, Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars of military and economic aid to Ukraine – funding that Mr Trump, and some of his supporters, have repeatedly criticised and rallied against.
Mr Trump insisted last year that Mr Putin never would have invaded Ukraine if he had been in the White House at the time and has repeatedly said he could settle the war “in one day” if he was re-elected again.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy when they met in September. Pic: Reuters
On Sunday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said strength and diplomacy must work together to bring the two-and-a-half-year war to an end.
“We understand very clearly that diplomacy has no prospects without strength,” he said.
“But without a clear understanding of diplomatic goals, weapons alone will not do the job. That’s why strength and diplomacy must work hand in hand.”
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How Trump won the election
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It comes as both Russia and Ukraine launched “record” drone attacks on each other overnight on Saturday, injuring a woman and temporarily halting air traffic at some of Russia’s busiest airports.
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Russia launched 145 drones overnight, according to Ukraine, 62 of which were shot down, as the two countries attacked each other.
Russia’s defence ministry said 70 drones were shot down in its territory, including 34 over the outskirts of the capital Moscow.
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