(LONDON) — President Donald Trump is meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the latter’s official country residence on Thursday, the second day of a historic second state visit to the U.K., which saw Trump hosted by the royal family at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
The two leaders held a bilateral meeting at Chequers, the prime minister’s estate in Buckinghamshire north of London.
They also participated in a reception with business leaders, where they announced a new science and technology partnership between the two nations in order to bolster technological innovation in both countries.
“We’re taking the next logical step with a historic agreement on science and technology partnerships, and this will create new government, academic and private sector cooperation in areas such as AI, which is taking over the world,” Trump said.
Starmer said the deal involves investments from multiple science and technology companies, totaling $204 billion across the Atlantic, creating 15,000 jobs in the next decade. He added that the deal includes investments from American companies such as Microsoft, Citigroup, Boeing, Amazon and Blackstone, and British companies such as BP, GSK, Rolls Royce and AstraZeneca. There was also a deal struck to build more advanced nuclear reactors in Britain.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump departed Windsor Castle earlier Thursday with a farewell ceremony involving King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
They were then greeted by Starmer and his wife, Victoria, at Chequers with bagpipes blaring in the background.
Asked by ABC News how his night at the castle was, Trump replied, “It was great, thank you.”
Trump and Starmer will hold a press conference at 2:20 p.m. local time — 9:20 a.m. ET. Multiple pressing global issues may be on the agenda. Among them are Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s growing threat to NATO’s eastern flank and the war in Gaza, where Israel’s offensive on Gaza City is expanding as the two leaders meet.
Trump’s visit comes after Starmer and other European leaders traveled to the White House to meet with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just after Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Since that meeting, during which allies expressed optimism of a path forward on security guarantees, no progress has materialized.
Trump and the first lady are expected to leave London at just after 5 p.m. local time. They are expected to arrive back at the White House by 8:10 p.m. ET.
On Wednesday, Trump was greeted at Windsor Castle by the royal family and an elaborate military reception. Meanwhile, a crowd of thousands gathered in central London to protest Trump on Wednesday. Many of the protesters held anti-Trump signs and Palestinian flags.
During a tour of Windsor Castle, the Trumps laid a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II during a service at the castle’s chapel, then spoke with the children before taking a tour of the chapel.
Later, the Trumps attended a state banquet, with other guests including Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, Rupert Murdoch, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
During his remarks at the state banquet, King Charles focused on the special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., saying that “our people have fought and died together for the values we hold dear.”
“The ocean may still divide us, but in so many ways we are now the closest of kin,” he said.
At the end of his remarks, Charles proposed a toast to Trump and the first lady.
Trump then spoke, thanking Charles and saying he had worked to preserve his nation’s history, uplifted the poor and supported soldiers.
Trump also mentioned the Prince and Princess of Wales, saying it was nice to see them, saying that Kate was “healthy” and “beautiful.”
The president mentioned a few of the United Kingdom’s most significant historical accomplishments and said the U.K. laid the groundwork for law and liberty. Trump said the bond between America and the United Kingdom is irreplaceable.
“Together, we must defend the exceptional heritage that makes us who we are, and we must continue to stand for the values and the people of the English-speaking world, and we do indeed stand for that,” Trump said.
Trump praised Charles as a “great gentleman and a great king” as he departed Windsor Castle.
ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart, Zoe Magee, Isabella Murray, Lalee Ibssa, Joseph Simonetti and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
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