Trump says talks on Ukraine advanced, Russia 'acting well'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that talks with Russia and Ukraine on a peace deal are "very well advanced" and credited Russia for its actions in the talks, as he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House.

Starmer has urged the United States to provide a security "backstop" for any European forces that take part in a potential peacekeeping role in Ukraine at the conclusion of peace talks that Trump has pushed forward since taking office last month.

Sitting alongside Starmer in the Oval Office, Trump said he thinks a peace deal reached with Russia would hold and said he does not think Putin would invade Ukraine again.

"I think Russia has been acting very well. ... I think we're very well advanced on the deal, but we have not made a deal yet," Trump said, adding that he would not talk about the details of peacekeeping until a deal was agreed.

When asked if Putin could be trusted, Trump replied: "Trust and verify."

Starmer thanked Trump for "changing the conversation to bring about the possibility that we can have a peace deal."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit the White House on Friday and is expected to sign an agreement with Trump on Ukraine's critical minerals. Trump said that deal would be a backstop for Ukraine.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Nandita Bose in Washington; writing by Simon Lewis; Editing by Franklin Paul and Leslie Adler)

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