Returning to the White House on Thursday after a state visit to the UK, President Donald Trump offered an assessment of his efforts to broker peace in Ukraine. While he had long counted on his personal rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin to help end the war quickly, he now says he feels “let down” by Putin. Speaking to Fox News, Trump acknowledged the conflict had been far more complicated than he had anticipated. He revealed that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer raised the issue of Ukraine during their talks. “He did. Well, he was a little embarrassed that I caught Europe, NATO countries, and EU countries buying oil from Russia. And he said that’s not good. He appreciated that I said it, but he said that’s not good. How about that?" Trump said. He added, “We’re supposed to do all this stuff, and they’re buying oil from Russia. That’s not good. Do you agree?” When asked if Starmer would impose sanctions, he replied: “He said he would, yes. And he’s not one of the culprits in terms of the Russian oil.” Trump told the reporters that for any chance of peace, Europe must stop buying Russian oil. “Ultimately, if oil prices go down, or if Russia is not selling oil, they have no choice but to settle. When EU or NATO nations are buying oil from Russia, that’s not the greatest thing,” he said. VIDEO | US President Donald Trump says, "The UK Prime Minister was embarrassed about me calling out NATO and EU countries over buying oil from Russia. He also agrees to stop buying oil from Russia, and he’s willing to impose sanctions too."#Trump #Russia #Sanctions(Full video… pic.twitter.com/ixaDWn1TWa— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 19, 2025 Key points from the Trump-Starmer news conference While marking the end of his second state visit to the UK, Donald Trump suggested that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer could use the military to tackle illegal migration. Trump said he discussed migration issues with Starmer during a meeting at Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence. He compared the UK’s challenge with migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats to the US’s southern border situation. “You have people coming in, and I told the prime minister I would stop it. It doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use,” Trump said, according to CNN. In a Fox News interview later, Trump urged Starmer to take a strong stance against immigration, saying it was affecting him “badly.” During the joint press conference, he said illegal migration “destroys countries from within” and declared that the US is now actively removing many of the people who entered illegally. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has intensified deportations and cracked down on unlawful border crossings. Trump and First Lady Melania were hosted at Windsor Castle by King Charles and the Royal Family and attended a state banquet on Wednesday before his political talks with Starmer on Thursday. During a wide-ranging Q&A with UK and US journalists, Trump and Starmer discussed topics including Palestinian statehood, free speech, the war in Ukraine, energy, and other issues. They praised the “special relationship” between the UK and the US and announced a tech investment deal aimed at boosting AI, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies. Trump said the deal would help the allies “dominate” in the field of artificial intelligence. (With inputs from Reuters, CNN)
