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With potential diplomatic hazards sidestepped and no fireworks evident, Keir Starmer is probably pleased that his joint appearance with the US president lent support to his assertion to be the United States’ leading ally in security, trade, and now technology.

President Trump, for his part, reportedly secured the “great pictures” he desired and displayed restrained conduct.

He stated that he did not disagree with his host in many areas, except Starmer’s proposal to recognize a Palestinian state. Moreover, he nearly exhibited diplomatic rhetoric—at least he suggested that Starmer deploy military personnel to halt migrant vessels crossing the Channel.

Private Discussions Could Determine the Real Test of Impact

However the lengthy private meeting between the statesmen represents the true indicator of whether Starmer managed to use this latest state visit—featuring full ceremonial grandeur—to alter any of the American leader’s views.

Starmer, known to identifies shared interests with Trump in public, probably utilized that crucial private moment to make the case that Vladimir Putin is unreliable and that Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrated poor judgment.

Israel-Palestine Conflict Seems a Sticking Point

Regarding Gaza, judging by the press conference, Starmer may have fallen short. Trump acknowledged when a journalist stated that he is “the only person on the planet able to preventing the destruction of Gaza City, ending the starvation in Palestine, and putting an end to the civilian casualties.”

Trump replied that he would not forget the attacks on October 7, and emphasized that his primary demand is for the militant group to surrender every captives in a single gesture.

That said, Starmer and Trump aren’t completely at odds, since the wider Middle East now supports proposals for a future Gaza administration excluding Hamas. This stance will be reinforced at an forthcoming United Nations meeting next week.

Reconstruction Plans and Shared Goals

Trump is also privately in favor of the collaborative blueprint by Jared Kushner and Tony Blair for rebuilding Gaza, which ensures local residents are not displaced from the territory. Mass expulsion, recalling the 1948 Nakba, would likely be rejected by regional powers and run counter to proposals put forward by Egypt, France, and the UK.

Starmer’s challenge lies in persuading Trump to publicly endorse specific measures and helping him understand that Gulf states may develop their own stability strategies if he seems to delegate his Middle East policy to Netanyahu.

War in Ukraine Sees Potential Common Ground

Regarding Ukraine, there may have been greater meeting of minds. Trump, appearing disappointed, said he felt “betrayed” by Putin and admitted that the war had proven harder to resolve than he had anticipated.

Starmer avoided stating that Trump’s earlier optimism had been unrealistic, but he argued that Putin’s latest targets showed a new “recklessness” that required a more robust reaction.

“It’s essential to increase scrutiny to Putin,” Starmer insisted. “Only when the president applies pressure on Putin does he shown any inclination to move.”

When pressed on whether he was prepared to enforce such pressure, Trump said, “I am open to do other things,” adding, “Not when the nations I’m fighting for are purchasing oil from Russia.”

Energy Dependence and Geopolitical Leverage

Given Trump’s frequent gaps in knowledge, it is conceivable he just discovered that certain European countries—including Slovakia and Hungary}—still buy Russian oil. Even so, it provided a justification not to impose the trade restrictions he once promised on Beijing for buying Russian energy.

The one thing the UK leader must prevent is for Trump to withdraw from the conflict. Therefore, he and Europe have little choice to speed up efforts to cut off the flow of Russian oil to Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has previously pledged to advance the deadline for ending buying Russian oil and gas, bringing it forward from the original target.

Starmer can leverage an opportunity in that Trump conceded that reduced oil prices would hasten Putin’s willingness to negotiate.

After the recent visit, both Starmer can only hope that Trump is nearer being convinced that if he stops discussing sanctions and instead implements them, he can show Putin that his options are truly closed.