UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone Sunday afternoon in what was likely their final conversation of 2025. The leaders discussed the war in Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and Starmer announced the appointment of Christian Turner as Britain's new ambassador to Washington.
The call came just three days after the US government began releasing the "Epstein Files" - extensive court documents and images related to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Trump had resisted publishing the files for weeks despite pressure from supporters.
A Downing Street spokeswoman provided a readout of the conversation: «The Prime Minister spoke to the president of the United States, Donald Trump, this afternoon. The two leaders began by reflecting on the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister updated on work by the coalition of the willing to support any peace deal and ensure a just and lasting end to the hostilities. Turning to the Middle East, the leaders discussed the situation on the ground in Gaza.»
New Ambassador to Washington
Starmer told Trump that Turner's appointment would «further deepen the relationship between the two countries». Turner, a veteran diplomat who currently serves as the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations, will take up the Washington post.
He replaces Lord Mandelson, whom Starmer sacked in September after details emerged of Mandelson's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The "Epstein Files" documents, uploaded to the US Department of Justice website on Friday night, included images of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Trump spoke from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. A No 10 spokeswoman said: «The leaders wished each other a Merry Christmas and looked forward to speaking again soon,»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
