Trump and Starmer, Skirting Differences, Praise Each Other in U.K.

President Trump wrapped up his state visit to Britain on Thursday with a joint news conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in which each man warmly praised the other while acknowledging a disagreement over Palestinian statehood.

The two leaders have formed an apparent friendship, however unlikely given their starkly different political backgrounds. Mr. Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, leads the center-left Labour Party, and his main political rival, the right-wing populist Nigel Farage, is a longtime Trump ally.

Yet as they stood side-by-side at the news conference at Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence, the rapport between the two leaders was clear. Mr. Trump sometimes turned to the prime minister to pat his shoulder, and Mr. Starmer carefully calibrated his comments and responses to reporters’ questions to praise the American president and avoid in any way exposing their deep underlying political differences.

The prime minister had hoped to cajole Mr. Trump into a more aggressive approach toward President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on the war in Ukraine, and he said that the two leaders had spent “the best part of an hour” speaking in private about world affairs on Thursday.

For British officials, this one-on-one time bending the president’s ear on the war in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was a key priority for the state visit. But it was unclear whether the immense expense and elaborate pageantry of the trip had paid off on either front.

Mr. Trump said Mr. Putin “has let me down,” but did not directly address questions from reporters about what actions he might take to pressure the Russian president further, or to support Ukraine. And while Mr. Starmer has repeatedly highlighted the grave threat to Europeposed by an aggressive Russia, Mr. Trump at one point appeared almost to brush that off.

“The Russia situation, I hope we’re going to have some good news for you coming up,” he told reporters. “But again, it doesn’t affect the United States. And he — look, it doesn’t so much affect you,” he said, casting a glance at Mr. Starmer, who held his gaze for a moment and then looked down at his notes.

The prime minister insisted that they were united on trying to find a resolution to war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. “We are working together to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East,” Mr. Starmer said.

When Mr. Trump was asked about Britain’s imminent recognition of Palestinian statehood, however, he said, “I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score,” although he added: “One of our few disagreements, actually.”

Mr. Trump spoke at length of the suffering of Israelis, particularly the hostages held by Hamas, but did not mention the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is escalating its military offensive.

When a reporter pressed him on whether he would use his influence on Israel to end a war that health officials in Gaza say has killed more than 60,000 people in the enclave, Mr. Trump spoke of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. About 1,200 people were killed in Israel that day, and another 250 taken hostage.

“People forget about Oct. 7,” he said. “I can’t forget about it.”

The two-day trip has helped Mr. Trump briefly escape political tensions at home, particularly on Wednesday, when King Charles III and Queen Camilla welcomed him for a state dinner at Windsor Castle, and the president lavished praise on the British royal family.

One specific outcome from the trip came in the form of a technology partnership agreement signed by Mr. Trump and Mr. Starmer on Thursday, which they said would help the United States and Britain lead the world on artificial intelligence and other high-tech innovations.

Mr. Starmer began the news conference on Thursday with a speech celebrating the “unique bond” between America and Britain. His team will have been relieved that the visit passed without any moment of rupture or public discord. But his remarks describing the nature of his country’s relationship with the United States at times appeared more like an expression of hope than a statement of fact, reflecting the emollient diplomatic approach Britain has favored with Mr. Trump.

“We are united in defense and security — yes, absolutely — but we’re also united in the pursuit of peace,” Mr. Starmer said. “It is British and American men and women side by side, changing the path of history, and turning it towards our values — towards freedom, democracy and the rule of law.”