So when will Trump visit the UK?
When will Donald Trump visit the UK?
The letter from King Charles, which Sir Keir handed to Trump on Thursday, suggested meeting at either Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland — owned by the King since 2007— or Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
The invitation apparently surprised Trump, but after reading the letter, he said he accepted and that it would be an “honour” to visit the “fantastic” country.
Why is Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK contentious?
In 2019, Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump for a state visit during his first presidency.
It is highly unusual for a US president to receive a second state visit during a second term. George W. Bush and Barack Obama were instead invited for tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle.
US President Donald Trump and the then-Prince of Wales during the toast at a dinner in London in 2019
PA Wire
Following Trump and Mr Zelensky’s tense showdown at the White House on Friday, pressure has mounted on Mr Starmer to cancel the visit. During the televised meeting, Trump accused the Ukrainian president of “gambling with World War Three” and expressed frustration over what he saw as a lack of gratitude for US support.
Since then, the Trump administration has paused military aid to Ukraine, suspending the delivery of billions of dollars’ worth of arms and other assistance previously approved under the Biden administration.
US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky have a fiery meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 28, 2025
AFP via Getty Images
An online petition calling for Starmer to “immediately cancel the offer of a second state visit for Donald Trump” has gained more than 170,000 signatures.
The petition describes Trump’s invitation as “unbelievable,” stating: “This is the same Donald Trump who, in recent weeks, has cosied up to Putin, escalated trade tariffs, slashed global aid, and berated Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House.”
Who opposes Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK?
The Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Scottish Greens have also called for Trump’s visit to be cancelled.
SNP leader Stephen Flynn posted on social media that Starmer “better get back up off his knees and revoke that offer of a state visit”.
Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said: “The invitation for a state visit should never have been made in the first place, and it is time for it to be withdrawn.”
However, Sir Keir dismissed these calls on Sunday.
“I’ve seen people ramping up the rhetoric and taking to Twitter and saying what they would do — good for them, I’m not that interested in that,” he said on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme on BBC One.
“I’m interested in what are the practical steps, what are the bridge building that I can do, what are the relationships that I can mend and take forward to take us to lasting peace in Europe.
“I’m not going to be diverted by the SNP or others trying to ramp up the rhetoric without really appreciating what is the single most important thing at stake here — we’re talking about peace in Europe.”
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