Sir Keir Starmer held what is expected to be his final phone call of 2025 with US President Donald Trump on Sunday afternoon. The Prime Minister and President discussed the war in Ukraine, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the appointment of the new British ambassador to Washington, according to Downing Street.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the call began with reflections on Ukraine, with Starmer updating Trump on work by the Coalition of the Willing to support any peace deal. The leaders also turned to the Middle East, where they discussed the situation on the ground in Gaza.
Starmer informed Trump of the appointment of Dr Christian Turner as the new UK ambassador to the US. Turner, currently the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations, will replace Lord Mandelson, who was sacked in September over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The call comes as the US has offered Nato-style protections to Ukraine, with Trump claiming they are closer than ever to a peace deal. Meanwhile, a Kremlin official said talks with the US on a peace plan were proceeding constructively in Florida.
The US president has also been involved in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, though Gaza authorities report nearly 400 people, including children, have been killed by Israeli gunfire since the truce began.
