Cameron meets Trump ahead of Washington trip

LORD CAMERON was last night set to meet Donald Trump in the first summit between a senior government minister and the former president since he left office in 2021.

The Foreign Secretary flew to Florida yesterday to join Mr Trump at his Mara-lago resort, in a move the Government said was “standard practice” ahead of a US election.

Lord Cameron is also set to meet Republicans in Washington DC, where he will tell those blocking aid to Ukraine that Kyiv must defeat Russia to show that “borders matter”.

His meeting with Mr Trump is the first of a senior minister since the former president lost the 2020 election.

Mr Trump, the Republican nominee in the 2024 US election, is at loggerheads with Democrats and European governments over support for Ukraine, which has pledged to cut if he wins a second term in November.

President Joe Biden’s legislation containing $95 billion (£75 billion) of new assistance for Ukraine is being held up by Republicans in the House of Representatives.

The Republicans have a majority in the House, which needs to approve the legislation if Ukraine is to get its new injection of US financial support.

A Foreign Office spokesman said Lord Cameron’s talks would “focus on a range of shared US-UK priorities, including securing international support for Ukraine and bringing security to the Middle East”.

The spokesman added: “It is standard practice for ministers to meet with opposition candidates.”

Lord Cameron said ahead of his trip: “Success for Ukraine and failure for Putin are vital for American and European security. The alternative would only encourage Putin in further attempts to re-draw European borders by force, and would be heard clearly in Beijing, Tehran and North Korea.”

The Foreign Secretary will also hold talks with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, before a joint press conference today.