Donald Trump: "President Putin has greatly disappointed me."

LondonAgreement in disagreement, and in the best possible way. At the end of the US president's state visit to the United Kingdom, Donald Trump and Keir Starmer demonstrated that, in matters of international politics, especially in relation to the war in Ukraine and the massacre in Gaza, the points of view of London and Washington remain quite far apart. From this point of view, day of pomp and vanity that took place yesterday in Windsor, to flatter the tycoon, has done little to soften him up and bring him closer to European positions. Beyond a few words that, at most, will have pleased this side of the Atlantic and also Kiev, the facts are stubborn.

"President Putin has disappointed me greatly regarding Russia and Ukraine," Trump admitted. He said this during his initial statement at the final joint press conference before returning to the United States. And in the face of press insistence following the comment, the US president has taken on another issue regarding if negotiations with his Russian counterpart had reached a dead end. And he was as categorical in his words as he was elusive when it came to commenting on the possibility of imposing new pressure measures against the Kremlin: "[Putin] has disappointed me," he insisted. "He has killed a lot of people and is losing more soldiers than he is killing. Russian soldiers are being killed at a faster rate than Ukrainian ones," he said.

As is his custom, he insisted that the invasion "would never have taken place" if he had been president, and that "for four years [of his first term] the issue was not even hinted at." According to his version, the Kremlin only dared to invade Ukraine because he "did not respect the leadership of the United States" afterward of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan; a withdrawal agreed to by Trump, although it was completed during Joe Biden's term. At this point, and changing the subject, Trump hinted that there could soon be some news about the attempt to recapture the largest air base the United States had in Afghanistan, Bagram. "One of the reasons we want it is that, as you know, it's an hour from where China makes its nuclear weapons," he said enigmatically.

Continuing with Ukraine, the US president stressed that "millions of people have died in this war, at levels not seen since World War II," and said he felt "an obligation to reach an agreement" that would end the conflict. However, he also downplayed the impact on Washington, suggesting that, in fact, it is Europe that must be made to stand up to it: "It doesn't affect us directly; we have an ocean separating us. But in Europe, which is much closer, the responsibility is greater." And he has criticized, once again, the fact that European countries still buy oil from Russia.

Starmer, in turn, stressed that the United Kingdom and France have assumed the leadership in the European military response, with the so-called Coalition of the Willing; an initiative doomed to failure, both due to Washington's refusal to offer real security guarantees and Moscow's refusal to accept the presence of Western troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

Starmer wanted to remind Trump that the latest Russian attacks - such as the bombing of the British Council headquarters in Kiev, the Ukrainian Council of Ministers building or the incursion of nineteen Russian drones into Poland last week– show "a Putin more reckless and crazed than ever, far from a real desire for peace." For this reason, he has called for "more pressure" on Moscow and greater direct support for Ukrainian forces. Trump has perhaps registered the subtle tone of criticism – or supplication – of the premier,But little else. The President of the United States did not allow himself any outbursts during the press conference. Perhaps so as not to overshadow the true reason for the trip: to be received like royalty at Windsor Castle, and for the world to realize how important he is.

The joint message from both leaders was as clear in its diagnosis as it was ambiguous in its resolution: the war is at a critical point, and Europe is exposed to a dangerous escalation. Trump, also as he always insinuates, has left the door open to "good news" in the near future, but reiterated that his great disappointment is that, unlike other international conflicts he boasts of having resolved, the war in Ukraine continues and there is no clear way out in sight. Among the conflicts he claimed to have resolved since returning to the presidency, he said was "the one between Azerbaijan and Albania," a slip of the tongue of the sort he criticized Biden for, no doubt, because he should have been referring to the war over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Gaza and October 7

Trump's good-boy behavior was also evident when he expressed his complete disagreement with Starmer regarding London's announced recognition of the state of Palestine. When questioned on the issue, he rejected the idea—"It's one of our few disagreements," he said—and insisted that what is needed "right now" is the immediate release of the hostages: "I don't want them to come back one by one or three by three. I want them all together, now." The president underscored the brutality of the October 7 attack and, in turn, challenged the British journalist who had raised the issue: "It was one of the most violent days in human history. I've seen the footage and I wish I hadn't done it. Four-month-old babies being dismembered... It's impossible to forget."

Beyond the veracity of the claims—some alleged recordings of Hamas atrocities released by Israel have been proven false—at no point has Trump referred to the suffering of the Palestinians. What he has made clear is that he will not pressure Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war until the hostages have been released. And to show points of agreement in the disagreement, the British Prime Minister, for his part, has been blunt about the nature of Hamas: "They are a terrorist organization and will have no role in the future governance of Palestine." Starmer recalled: "We have family in Israel and I know firsthand what this has meant psychologically for the population." Regarding the psychological suffering of the Palestinians, he also said nothing.

Finally, when asked about the timetable for the recognition of Palestine, Starmer maintained that he had already stated his position at the end of July and that the decision "has nothing to do with this state visit." According to the Prime Minister, London and Washington share the goal of a negotiated solution that "guarantees security for Israel and a viable exit for the Palestinian people," but he reiterated that this step cannot be confused with "any reward for Hamas, which wants neither peace nor two nations living together." Starmer failed to mention that Benjamin Netanyahu also does not want two states.

The state visit, which concluded at the Prime Minister's country residence, the Chequers estate, 80 kilometers from London, was little more than a show of royal pomp to please Trump. In return, Starmer and the President signed a trade agreement for future investments in technology and artificial intelligence. Investments that may or may not materialize, but that leave a headline. Starmer emerges unscathed from a potentially always explosive visit, but few potatoes. The king is not Charles III; he is Donald Trump.