UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron met with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to discuss Ukraine and Gaza on Monday.
The meeting, announced by the UK Foreign Office, is believed to be President Trump’s first with a senior British minister since he left office. It comes ahead of Lord Cameron’s visit to Washington where he aims to rally U.S. support for Ukraine funding amid its war with Russia.
“Ahead of his visit to Washington, the foreign secretary will meet former President Trump in Florida today. It is standard practice for ministers to meet with opposition candidates as part of their routine international engagement,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said, multiple media reported.
The Epoch Times contacted the British Foreign Office for further information.
President Trump, who is running for president, has previously declared that he would end the Ukraine war within days of being back in the White House. He has also rejected the idea of Ukraine joining NATO, a political and military alliance.
Following the meeting with President Trump, Lord Cameron will head to Washington on Tuesday, where he plans to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other political leaders across the spectrum on the topic of supporting Ukraine.
Lord Cameron’s office said his discussions with Congressional leaders will center on urging the approval of an extra $60 billion in supplementary funding earmarked for Ukraine, which is currently under consideration in Congress.
The former British prime minister will also discuss securing a sustainable ceasefire and enhancing humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza. Lord Cameron’s office said he would also push for a thorough investigation into the events in Gaza that claimed the lives of three British aid workers.
Lord Cameron’s office didn’t specifically disclose which congressional leaders he would meet but noted they would be on both sides of the aisle, as well as other senior U.S. government figures.
Congress has been stalled when it comes to providing more aid to Ukraine due to disagreements, having already provided over $100 billion. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has indicated that he will address the issue when Congress reconvenes following the current recess.
Internal party politics have seen the GOP-led House reject a Senate-passed measure in February, which included $60 billion for Ukraine. However, it died before it reached the House because it lacked the domestic border security measures critical to win Republican support.
Mr. Johnson put forward a measure last month. But hardline conservative Republicans on the House Freedom Caucus, in addition to border measures, want spending cuts elsewhere to balance any Ukraine spending.
It is unclear if Mr. Johnson plans to meet with Lord Cameron.
As the Ukraine-Russia conflict enters its third year, the “importance of stepping up economic pressure” on Russia and bolstering Ukraine with military and other aid is expected to be a key talking point for the senior UK official, according to Lord Cameron’s office.
“Success for Ukraine and failure for Putin are vital for American and European security,” Lord Cameron said. “This will show that borders matter, that aggression doesn’t pay and that countries like Ukraine are free to choose their own future. The alternative would only encourage Putin in further attempts to re-draw European borders by force, and would be heard clearly in Beijing, Tehran, and North Korea.”
Lord Cameron added that U.S. support for Ukraine has “massively degraded the military capacity of a common adversary, Russia has lost half of its pre-invasion land combat power, and a quarter of its original Black Sea fleet, while creating jobs at home and strengthening the Western alliance and NATO.”
Earlier this year, the UK declared an additional £2.5 billion in aid to support Ukraine, while the EU has committed an additional £43 billion.
One day ahead of Lord Cameron’s tour to drum up support, Mr. Zelenskyy warned that his nation risks defeat in the war unless Congress approves the military aid package.
“It is necessary to specifically tell Congress that if Congress does not help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a video statement on Sunday.
“If Ukraine loses the war, other states will be attacked,” he said.
