Donald Trump and Keir Starmer are set to meet today in Washington DC

Keir Starmer may be on a collision course with Donald Trump after the US president said he was not going to offer many security guarantees to Europe.

While on the plane to Washington DC to meet with Trump, the prime minister told reporters that Vladimir Putin will “come again” unless the US protects Ukraine as part of any peace deal.

And a senior No.10 source told HuffPost UK: “Stopping the fighting in Ukraine is not enough. It has to be a lasting peace - which needs US backup.”

But before Starmer had even touched down in the States, the US president told his cabinet: “I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We’re going to have Europe do that.”

Trump’s comments throw a spanner in the works for Starmer, who wants to be seen as a “bridge” between the US and Europe amid concerns about Vladimir Putin’s long-term ambitions.

The PM even promised to take defence spending from 2.3% of gross domestic

© HuffPost