President Donald Trump of the United States and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet at the White House on Thursday for their first in-person parley since the Republican leader upended US policy on Ukraine, the Middle East and global trade.

The British prime minister is the second European leader to meet Trump this week after French President Emmanuel Macron came to the White House on Monday for a friendly encounter that displayed stark differences about Russia’s war with Ukraine and the US push for a quick ceasefire.

Trump, who returned to office on January 20, has shocked Europe, a traditional US ally, by drawing closer to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a dictator, and demanding payback for US financial support of Kyiv.

Zelenskiy will also be in Washington on Friday to sign an agreement with Trump on rare earth minerals, a deal the Ukrainian leader said would hinge on further US aid.

Trump sees the deal as an avenue to recoup American money that has been spent to support Ukraine.

The UK prime minister on Wednesday urged the United States to provide a security backstop for any European forces that take part in a potential peacekeeping role in Ukraine, saying that would offer Kyiv a lasting peace rather than a temporary pause in violence.

He has signaled that Britain will increase defense spending and is expected to try to reassure the US president that Europe will provide support and security guarantees to Kyiv if peace talks with Russia are successful.