UK's Starmer Agrees to Meet Trump Soon

Starmer and Trump Agree to Meet Soon to Discuss UK-US Relations

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to meet soon on a call on Sunday when they also spoke about the royal family and of their two countries "warm ties", according to statement from Downing Street.

"The two leaders stressed the importance of the close and warm ties between the UK and the U.S., and the president spoke of his respect and affection for the royal family," the statement from Starmer's Downing Street office said.

"They agreed to meet soon and looked forward to further discussions then."

Starmer is keen to promote Britain to Trump and big U.S. companies as his government seeks new sources of investment to try to breath life into a stagnant British economy.

Trump also said on board Air Force One on Sunday that his first international trip could be to either Saudi Arabia or Britain, prompting speculation in some British newspapers that a state visit to London was being lined up.

The late Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump during his first presidency in 2019. He later called her a "great woman" who "never made mistakes".

The Downing Street statement did not mention defence spending, a potential point of contention between the pair, after Trump called on NATO countries like Britain to up its military budget.

It was also silent on the Chagos Islands, a matter where Britain is waiting for the U.S. to review London's deal with Mauritius over the future of a U.S.-British military base.

Starmer and Trump discussed recent developments in the Middle East and the British leader praised Trump's role in securing a ceasefire in Gaza.

"They also discussed trade and the economy, with the prime minister setting out how we are deregulating to boost growth," the statement said.

(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru and Sarah Young in London; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Elizabeth Piper)