SKETCH: The British prime minister is not known for his charm, but he brought a secret weapon with him to disarm Trump, writes

The “special relationship” between the US and the UK got awkward Thursday, when Vice President JD Vance confronted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office over the longtime American ally’s weakening of freedom of speech.

After Trump's berating of Zelenskiy in the Oval Office raised fears of the U.S. pulling support for Ukraine and imposing a peace plan negotiated with Russia, Europe is trying to ensure Kyiv is not squeezed out of any talks.

Edited by Brandon Livesay, with Myroslava Petsa and Bernd Debusmann Jr reporting from the White House The BBC's Myroslava Petsa is part of the press pack in the Oval Office. She sends us a video over,

Donald Trump praised Sir Keir Starmer's “beautiful” accent as he pledged to continue the “special” relationship between the US and UK. The two leaders held a press conference following an earlier Oval Office meeting where the war in Ukraine and trade deals featured high on the agenda.

The letter captured by photographs and shown partially by Trump to reporters in the Oval Office says the British monarch remembers with “great fondness” Trump’s visit during his first term.

President Trump met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain in Washington yesterday. While sitting beside the British leader in the Oval Office, Trump said repeatedly that he believed that Vladimir Putin,

Keir Starmer welcomed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street on Saturday following the explosive exchange with President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the White House. Starmer's trip, coming a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron's own visit, reflects the mounting concern felt by much of Europe that Trump's aggressive push to find an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine signals his willingness to concede too much to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Europe must take responsibility for defending itself as world leaders met in London to discuss working together to stop Russia’s war in Ukraine. Britain hosted the summit Sunday to shore up support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after an astonishing Oval Office meltdown with President Donald

Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, the prime minister also says "nobody wants to see that" after the Oval Office row between the US and Ukrainian leaders.