Trump Ends Visit to the UK: "Disappointed in Putin" - Says US Will Get "A Lot of Money" from TikTok Deal
Before ending his state visit to the UK on Thursday, September 18, US President Trump met with British Prime Minister Starmer at their country residence, Chequers. Trump stated that the US will receive "a huge amount of money" from the TikTok deal related to China and revealed his hope to finalize the transaction with China on Friday, September 19. On the issue of the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump publicly expressed rare disappointment in Putin; Trump and Starmer jointly announced the largest ever cooperation plan between the US and UK in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence.
According to reports from AFP and Reuters, Trump emphasized during a press conference on Thursday that the US would benefit from the TikTok deal: Trump said, "The US will get a huge fee from this, which I call 'extra revenue', because we facilitated the deal." Trump said he hopes to finalize the agreement on Friday.
"Putin Made Me Disappointed"
Regarding the Ukraine war, Trump said, "I thought: because of my relationship with Putin, the Ukraine war was easy to resolve, but he (Putin) disappointed me, really disappointed me." Starmer emphasized the need to "increase pressure on Putin" and said, "Only when Trump exerted pressure did Putin show some compromise."
US-UK Tech Cooperation and Investment Commitments
Trump and Starmer announced the launch of a "historic" high-tech cooperation plan between the US and UK, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and nuclear energy. American tech giants such as Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, and OpenAI have committed to investing over $40 billion in the UK, and Blackstone Group will also invest £100 billion. Starmer called it "the largest investment plan in British history." Trump joked that Starmer is "a tough negotiator" and promised that the US and UK will maintain a leading position in the future of artificial intelligence.
In terms of trade, Starmer failed to secure a commitment from the US to cancel the 25% tariff on British steel, but the UK emphasized that the newly signed agreements and investments will create job opportunities and growth for the UK.
Diplomatic Differences Remain
On the issue of Palestinian statehood, both sides openly acknowledged existing differences. Trump directly stated that this is "one of the few differences," while Starmer emphasized that the situation in Gaza is "unbearable." On immigration, Trump took a strong stance, even suggesting that the UK could deploy its military to curb illegal immigration if necessary.
After the press conference, Trump left the UK on Thursday afternoon, ending his two-day state visit.
Sources: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843664186414154/
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