Sawt Falasteen - Tough topics top Trump-Starmer talks after regal welcome

After taking leave of King Charles III at Windsor Castle where he spent the night, Trump flew by helicopter to the UK leader's country residence of Chequers on the second and final day of his trip.

Starmer and his wife Victoria greeted Trump and they laughed and chatted for the cameras as bagpipes played, before going inside the 16th century manor house near London to begin the meeting.

Trump said his night at Windsor Castle, part of an extravagant programme of royal pageantry that Britain hopes will win over the mercurial US leader, was "really great, thank you".

He earlier told reporters that Charles was a "great gentleman and a great king" as he left the castle following a lavish state banquet, carriage ride and military flypast.

The British premier has positioned himself as a bridge between Trump and European allies, particularly on the war in Ukraine, in a bid to secure more commitments for Kyiv from the US leader.

Appealing to Trump's admiration for British wartime leader Winston Churchill, Starmer led the US president on a tour of Churchill artifacts at Chequers before heading into their bilateral meeting.

- Trade hopes -

His warm tone with the 79-year-old Republican has won some leniency in the president's trade war, with the two countries signing an "economic prosperity deal" in May.

Trump and Starmer are due to host a roundtable of business leaders including top US tech CEOs at Chequers, a day after Starmer trumpeted £150 billion of investment into the UK from US giants including Microsoft and Blackstone.

"Jobs, growth and opportunity is what I promised for working people, and it's exactly what this state visit is delivering," said Starmer.

Britain hopes to secure further concessions and is keen to see 25-percent duties on aluminium and steel reduced to zero, but Trump's non-committal comments suggest an agreement is not imminent.

"They'd like to see if they could get a little bit better deal. So, we'll talk to them," Trump said before leaving for Britain.

But the talks could turn awkward on several fronts, with British newspapers predicting the joint press conference at Chequers may become tense.

Labour leader Starmer, who is not a natural political bedfellow of Trump, faces political troubles at home after sacking his UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over a furore involving the diplomat's connections to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein has also haunted Trump over recent weeks, with further revelations about the pair's relationship in the 1990s and the issue may crop up in a press conference later Thursday.

There are differences too on Gaza, with Britain reportedly preparing to announce the recognition of a Palestinian state, a step the United States has opposed.

- 'Highest honors' -

But it was all smiles for Trump on Wednesday as he was lavished with the full pomp and circumstance of the British state -- the second time it has done so after his first visit in 2019.

"This is truly one of the highest honours of my life," Trump said at the state banquet.

The king meanwhile hailed Trump's peace efforts and support of Ukraine, after a day featuring gun salutes, soldiers on horseback and bagpipes, all designed to appeal to the US president's fascination with royalty.

But he also stressed to Trump, who has rolled back environmental protections since returning to power, the obligations leaders had to "our children, grandchildren, and those who come after them".

Melania Trump remained in Windsor on Thursday morning, where she viewed Queen Mary's Doll's House with Queen Camilla before meeting scouts with Princess Catherine.

An estimated 5,000 people marched through central London on Wednesday, waving Palestinian flags and displaying banners with slogans including "Migrants welcome, Trump not welcome".

Y.Shaath--SF-PST