Trump trusts Putin to 'keep his word' and more takeaways from Starmer talks on Ukraine

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he believed President Vladimir Putin would "keep his word" if a deal is reached with Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine -- and that Britain could "take care of themselves" if its peacekeeping troops were attacked, although he then added the U.S. would "help."

The comments came when Trump hosted United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House, as the U.S. president says Europe will need to take the lead on security guarantees for Ukraine.

Starmer and France's Emmanuel Macron came to Washington this week after Europe and Ukraine were shut out of peace talks between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia.

"We agree that history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader," Starmer pointedly said during a news conference with Trump, who had earlier avoided saying Russia had attacked Ukraine. "So, the stakes, they couldn't be higher. And we're determined to work together to deliver a good deal."

Ukraine's Zelenskyy is expected to travel to the nation's capital on Friday to sign a proposed agreement enabling the U.S. to access revenue from Ukraine's wealth of critical minerals and other resources.

Here are key takeaways from the Trump-Starmer meeting.

Trump believes Putin will 'keep his word' on a deal

Trump said he didn't believe Putin would try to reinvade Ukraine after the war if the United States didn't provide a "backstop" in the region along with European peacemakers.

Speaking more about his relationship with Putin, Trump said they've known each other for a "long time" and that going through the "Russia hoax" together gave him some trust in the Russian leaders as negotiations unfold. (Trump was likely referring to the investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election).

"I think he'll keep his word," Trump said of Putin.

Starmer didn't go nearly as far when asked if he agreed with Trump's assessment.

"I think my views on Putin are pretty well-rehearsed and pretty well known," Starmer responded. He added if there is an agreement, it's "really important that Putin knows that this deal -- a historic deal which I very much hope comes about -- is there, is there and it's a lasting deal and we're able to deal with any inclination he has to go again or go further."

Trump says British can 'take care of themselves' in Ukraine

Trump was asked if the U.S. would come to Britain's aid if British troops deployed to keep the peace in Ukraine were attacked by Russia. Starmer said the U.K. is ready to "ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal."

"You know, I've always found about the British, they don't need much help. They can take care of themselves very well," Trump responded with Starmer sitting beside him.

"It sounds like it's evasive, but it's not evasive. You know, the British are -- have been incredible soldiers, incredible military, and they can take care of themselves," he continued. "But if they need help, I'll always be with the British, okay? I will always be with them. But they don't need help."

Trump was later asked if he supported Article 5 of NATO -- which outlines that an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies -- and whether he was concerned it may be triggered if European peacekeepers end up in Ukraine after the war.

"I support it," Trump said of Article 5. "I don't think we're going to have any reason for it. I think we're going to have a very successful peace and I think it's going to be a long lasting peace."

Trump says US will be 'working' in Ukraine as he sidestepped on peacekeeping

Asked repeatedly about what role the U.S. will play in Ukraine's security after the war, Trump declined to discuss any guarantees or U.S. participation in peacekeeping but argued that a mineral resource deal would serve as a kind of "backstop."

"We'll have a lot of people working there," he said. "And so, in that sense, it's very good. It's a backstop, you could say. I don't think anybody's going to play around if we're there with a lot of workers and having to do with rare earths and other things which we need for our country, and we appreciate it very much."

Trump said the focus should first be on securing an agreement between Russia and Ukraine before talk about peacekeeping in the region.

"I don't like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal," he said.

Starmer, for his part, made clear his view that security guarantees are critical. "If there's a deal in, we got to make sure it's a deal that lasts," he told Trump.

Trump on calling Zelenskyy a dictator: 'Did I say that?'

As he prepares to host Zelenskyy in Washington on Friday, Trump appeared to try to soften his past comments blasting the Ukrainian leader.

When asked if he still believed Zelenskyy was a dictator, Trump responded: "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that."

Trump called Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections" in a social media post last week. He's notably declined to apply the same term to Putin.

Trump was asked if he will apologize to Zelenskyy for the comment when they meet.

"I think we're going to have a very good meeting tomorrow ... We're going to get along very well, okay? We have a lot of respect. I have a lot of respect for him," Trump said. "We've given him a lot of equipment and a lot of money but they have fought very bravely. No matter how you figure it, they have really fought."

Trump now says they'll try to get Ukraine's land back

After previously saying it was unrealistic for Ukraine to return to its pre-war borders, Trump said he will try to get some of it back in peace talks.

"Well, they've fought long and hard on the land, and you and I will be discussing that, and we're going to certainly try and get as much as we can back," Trump said.

The president was also asked if there had been any discussion around returning Crimea to Ukraine.

"There were a lot of areas that were taken. Yeah, we've talked about it. A lot of the sea line has been taken, and we'll be talking about that. And we're going to see if we can get it back or get a lot of it back for Ukraine, if that's possible. We'll be seeing about that," Trump said.

At the same time, he firmly ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine. "That's not going to happen," he said.