The two men discussed Ukraine, the war in Gaza and the future of Nato, after Cameron publicly distanced himself from the former president’s remarks on the alliance earlier this year…reports Asian Lite News
Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Donald Trump met to discuss the war in Ukraine, Nato and the Middle East on Monday 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 to meet Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, in a move the Government said was “standard practice” for opposition leaders ahead of an election.
The two men discussed Ukraine, the war in Gaza and the future of Nato, after Cameron publicly distanced himself from the former president’s remarks on the alliance earlier this year.
A government source said that the Foreign Secretary wanted Trump to “hear how much we’re putting into defence spending” in a “productive meeting” that highlighted the “breadth and strength” of the special relationship.
On Tuesday and Wednesday Cameron will meet other Republicans in Washington DC, where he will tell those blocking a new aid package to Ukraine that Kyiv must defeat Russia to show that “borders matter”.
The meeting with Trump is the first of a senior British minister since the former president lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
The Foreign Secretary has previously described Trump’s “Muslim ban” travel policy as “divisive, stupid and wrong” and the man himself as “protectionist, xenophobic, misogynistic”.
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.
He has said he would end the war in Ukraine “in one day”, and has suggested he would be more willing to push Kyiv into negotiations with Moscow.
The government, which also sends arms to Ukraine, has pledged to continue its support and in January announced a £2.5bn package of military aid for the 2024-25 financial year.
Cameron has recently criticised Trump’s approach to the Nato alliance, describing his comments that Russia could do “whatever they hell they want” to members that do not reach its defence spending target as “not a sensible approach”.
He has also fallen foul of Trump’s supporters in Congress, after writing in February that he would “drop all diplomatic niceties” and “urge” legislators to pass a funding bill.
“I believe our joint history shows the folly of giving in to tyrants in Europe who believe in redrawing boundaries by force,” he said.
Majorie Taylor Greene, a firebrand Trump supporter in the House of Representatives, said the Foreign Secretary had compared sceptical Republicans to Nazis, responding: “I think that I really don’t care what David Cameron has to say.
“I think that’s rude name-calling, and I don’t appreciate that type of language. And David Cameron needs to worry about his own country, and frankly, he can kiss my a—.”
The meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Monday night came as Lord Cameron prepared for meetings with members of the Biden administration and congressmen on Tuesday in Washington DC.
At a press conference at the State Department, he is expected to join Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, in support for Ukraine and in ending the war in Gaza.
The meetings will also include a bilateral summit with Jake Sullivan, Mr Biden’s national security adviser, while talks with congressional Republicans will focus on their opposition to Ukraine aid.
Biden has presented a $95bn (£75bn) Ukraine spending package to Congress but has been unable to pass it amid opposition from Republicans in both the House of Representatives and Senate.
Foreign Office sources stressed that Lord Cameron’s meeting with Trump was in line with previous visits from visiting UK dignitaries, including a trip by Gordon Brown to meet Barack Obama in 2008.
Speaking prior to the visit, a government spokesman said: “The Foreign Secretary is on his way to Washington DC, where he will hold discussions with US Secretary of State Blinken, other Biden administration figures and members of Congress. His talks will focus on a range of shared US-UK priorities, including securing international support for Ukraine and bringing stability to the Middle East. Ahead of his visit to Washington, the Foreign Secretary will meet former President Trump in Florida today. It is standard practice for ministers to meet with opposition candidates as part of their routine international engagement.”
