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Keir Starmer to meet Donald Trump for talks at Turnberry resort

Keir Starmer to meet Donald Trump for talks at Turnberry resort

BBC News28-07-2025
Donald Trump will welcome Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks on Gaza and trade deals at his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire later.The meeting, which follows Trump striking a trade deal with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, will take place on the third full day of the US president's private visit to Scotland.The leaders are expected to discuss progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal, hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and applying pressure on Vladimir Putin to end Russia's war with Ukraine.Trump and Starmer will then travel together to Aberdeen for a further private engagement.
The US president, who played a second round of golf at Turnberry on Sunday, will open a second 18-hole course on his Menie estate at Belmedie in Aberdeenshire later.First Minister John Swinney is also expected to meet Trump, with Swinney having said it would present an opportunity to "essentially speak out for Scotland" on issues such as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland.
The first minister said he would also raise "significant international issues" including "the awfulness of the situation in Gaza".President Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday evening, with Air Force One touching down at Glasgow Prestwick Airport before his entourage travelled to nearby Turnberry.He has since spent two days at Turnberry, playing golf with friends and guests in what has been billed as a private visit.
A high-level security operation was ramped up over the weekend, but public protests were limited to a handful of individuals at Turnberry while the main anti-Trump demonstrations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh on Saturday passed off largely peacefully.Protesters showed their frustrations towards the president's politics, including his views on climate change and his position on the conflict between Israel and Gaza.Trump hosted a meeting with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at Turnberry on Sunday, where they agreed a new transatlantic trade deal.After shaking hands on the deal, Trump said: "It's going to bring us closer together... it's a partnership in a sense."Von der Leyen also hailed it as a "huge deal", which came after "tough negotiations".The agreement sets the US tariffs on goods from Europe at 15% across the board.The European Union had been facing a 30% levy on its exports to the US from 1 August.President Trump will travel back to Washington on Tuesday and is due to return to the UK for an official state visit in September.
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