In the world of Donald Trump’s White House, personal chemistry often determines political outcomes. For British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, his first meeting with Trump was as much about substance as it was about managing the erratic, transactional deportment of the U.S. president. From the outset, the meeting between Starmer and Trump was framed by spectacle.

The invitation from King Charles to grant Trump an unprecedented second state visit was a clear diplomatic move to stroke his ego. Trump, never one to downplay his own significance, basked in the moment: “It’s a great honor, because it’s never happened before,” he declared at their joint press conference. Yet beneath the warm words and diplomatic pleasantries, sharp policy differences on Ukraine, trade and the future of the transatlantic alliance loomed large.

Starmer arrived in Washington with high stakes: the future of U.S.-U.K. relations, the ongoing war in Ukraine and the prospects of a trade deal with America. The British prime minister had the unenviable task of tackling a White House that operates less on alliances and more on Trump’s personal whims.

Starmer’s strategy was clear: flatter Trump while subtly steering the conversation toward British and European priorities. He praised Trump for supposedly creating conditions for a Ukraine ceasefire — despite skepticism in both London and Kyiv over whether such a deal would genuinely serve peace or merely hand Russian President Vladimir Putin the breathing space he seeks.

While Trump professed confidence in........

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