Last month, President Trump called his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin "fantastic" following a high-stakes summit in Alaska. But the summit ended without a deal to end the war in Ukraine, and during a press conference in England today, Trump said of Putin, "he's let me down, he's really let me down."
The comment came as the president was fielding questions alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Starmer's country estate Chequers.
Senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in the British Parliament. She told All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly that progress was made during the summit, as the British government seeks to persuade Trump to take a harder line with Putin.
"I think Donald Trump needs to have other friends, he needs to have someone to replace his friendship with Putin or with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu," Thornberry said.
The Labour MP went on to say that the British government's efforts have "been to try to influence Donald Trump and to make friends with him and to say, you know, please listen to other people."
Thornberry spoke with Mary Louise Kelly about what was achieved — and what wasn't — during Trump's visit to the U.K. this week.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Mary Louise Kelly: It's a very subtle diplomacy that you're describing. It did not bother you that you didn't hear President Trump moving toward any kind of concrete steps to end the war [in Ukraine]?
Emily Thornberry: Well, no. I mean, there's the comments that he makes in relation to Putin, which is really important. I think, you know, he needs to be told by friends and by people he can trust that Putin is stringing him along and isn't someone who he should be listening to. And that it is in the interests of Britain and Europe and, frankly, the United States as well, that Ukraine wins the war. And so we need to be able to work together. And he talks about, you know, making sure that those countries that are buying Russian oil stop doing so, and if they do, then America will get involved as well. To a certain extent, he's got a point. There are sanctions. We're not supposed to be trading with Russia. And yet an awful lot of countries still buy Russian oil, and that's one of the things which is keeping the economy going in Russia.
Mary Louise Kelly: Let's go to Gaza. The Middle East was the one area where Trump and Starmer disagreed openly. Trump acknowledged that this is the issue of recognizing Palestinian statehood, which your country is prepared to do and imminently. Trump doesn't seem to have moved at all. After meeting with Starmer, is that your read?
Emily Thornberry: So what he has said, I think, is that he puts the hostages front and center. He says that the hostages must be released before there is peace and I don't think we have a problem with that, for heaven's sake. And also some harsh words on Hamas and that's got to be right too, nobody wants to deal with Hamas and we must see the end of Hamas.
But the question then is, you know, he says that we need peace, but he's not very clear about what peace looks like and what Britain wants to do with other allies is recognize Palestine. But that's not the end of it. It has to be the beginning of a renewed peace effort in which countries around the world — particularly Britain, France, Canada, but also the Arab nations — pull together and renew the peace effort and put before Trump [like] 'this is a sensible peace plan. There isn't really another sensible peace plan." The only way forward, the only way to have any hope for Israeli children and Palestinian children is for there to be two states. A safe and secure Israel and a viable Palestine, and a realignment of politics in the region which will also help with the security of Israel.
Mary Louise Kelly: President Trump was asked directly why he didn't use his power to persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to change course in Gaza. You have said in past comments you think President Trump is the only person who can sway Netanyhau. Do you come away from today encouraged in any way, Emily Thornberry, that he will?
Emily Thornberry: Yes, because I think that he talks about if the hostages are released that we need to have peace. It would be difficult if the hostages were released to see what the justification, what on earth the war efforts are. What is the reason for the continuation of the war in Netanyahu's eyes that can be justified once the hostages are released. And I think it's right to carry on being really strong about the hostages and how the hostages must be released, and that will bring about peace. If that's what Trump is going to do, then I think we can pile in behind that. But what we then need to have is we need to have a plan. And that's what Britain has been talking about to President Trump, as I understand it. And indeed, Keir Starmer's teams and President Trump's teams were happy we were having discussions about that.
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