Trump, in his farewell to the United Kingdom, spoke of recovering the air base in Afghanistan and of his 'disappointment' with Putin
At a press conference alongside Keir Starmer at the British Prime Minister's country residence 70 kilometers from London, the President said he thought the conflict in Ukraine would be the "easiest" to resolve.
President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Donald Trump made headlines in the UK press this week. From the anticipation and speculation of what would be the president's second state visit to the country, to details of the sumptuous banquet that greeted him at Windsor Castle alongside the purest breed of British royalty, President Trump has filled pages and pages of the media.
After two days of the official agenda (three in total if we count the arrival), Trump has said goodbye to his hosts leaving behind a technological cooperation treaty, an offering to Queen Elizabeth II and some unexpected statements in the last press conference he gave alongside Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
"Disappointment" with Putin
Trump admitted Thursday to being "disappointed" with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who continues with the war in Ukraine despite the peace efforts of the American leader.
Speaking to reporters gathered at the British prime minister's country residence 70 kilometers from London, the president said he thought the conflict in Ukraine would be the "easiest" to resolve because of his relationship with the Russian president.
"But he has let me down, he has really let me down," he noted, referring to Putin, on the third and final day of his state visit to the UK. The issue of the war in Ukraine was one of the topics to be discussed at the meeting with Starmer.
At the same conference Trump urged European countries to stop buying Russian oil, saying that "if its price goes down, Putin will withdraw from that war."
For his part, the Briton said that it is necessary to "accentuate the pressure" on Putin, so that he puts an end to the war.
"We must put additional pressure on Putin. Only when President [Donald Trump] put pressure on Putin, Putin actually showed some willingness to act. So we need to step up the pressure," Keir Starmer stated.
Disagreements over Palestine
Hours before their return to Washington, the two leaders also addressed some sensitive diplomatic issues and acknowledged their disagreement over recognition of the State of Palestine.
Starmer has announced his intention to recognize the Palestinian state. This could happen this weekend, according to The Times, ahead of Monday's discussions at the UN General Assembly.
"I disagree with the prime minister on that point. It is one of our few disagreements," Trump declared. "The situation in Gaza is intolerable," Starmer noted on the issue without offering further details on the matter.
In the same round of media briefings, they mentioned the issue of immigration, a crucial issue for both countries.
Illegal immigration "destroys countries from within," Trump assured, "no matter if you resort to the military, no matter what means you use," he added after comparing the UK's situation with that of the US in that matter.
Immigration
Starmer said he wants to "step up" migrant removals under the agreement signed this summer with France, following the deportation Thursday of a first Indian national.
"Unbreakable bond"
Shortly before the press conference, Trump praised his country's "unbreakable bond" with the United Kingdom as he signed alongside Starmer a major technology deal on the final day of his official visit.
At the ceremony, which was attended by numerous CEOs of U.S. tech companies, the British Labour leader said that both he and Trump are "leaders who genuinely like each other."
"It's the biggest investment package of its kind in the history of the UK by far," he added.
The technology deal
According to statements by the leaders, "it will enable new forms of collaboration between public authorities, academia and the private sector, in areas such as artificial intelligence, which is revolutionizing the world."
For his part, Trump commented that the agreement is "very important" and recalled that the United Kingdom is the United States' main ally in NATO.
The signing of the deal comes on the heels of $205 billion investment pledges in the UK made by U.S. giants such as Microsoft, Google and Blackstone.
British pharmaceutical laboratory GSK, for its part, also announced the intention to invest $30 billion over five years on the other side of the Atlantic, much to the delight of Trump, who is pressuring the sector's giants to invest in his country.
Trump wants to reclaim Afghanistan's Bagram airbase
President Donald Trump also said Thursday that he was working to "take back" Bagram air base, whose control the U.S. handed over shortly before the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
">🚨 @POTUS on Bagram Airfield, which fell to the Taliban in Biden's botched Afghanistan withdrawal:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 18, 2025
"We're trying to get it back, by the way. That could be a little breaking news... It's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons." pic.twitter.com/Lbe9dcnfjS
"We are trying to get it back, by the way, it could be breaking news. We are trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want to get that base back," he assured at his own press conference with the British prime minister.
After the string of statements, the media noticed that the tariff issue did not come up, which could indicate that Starmer did not achieve any adjustment in this area. He had hoped to conclude the lengthy negotiations to obtain a 25% exemption applied to British steel, promised in early May, but news on the matter was conspicuous by its absence.
Donald and Melania Trump bid farewell to the United Kingdom earlier Thursday before returning to Washington, ending the Republican's unprecedented second state visit to that nation.
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