US Vice President JD Vance met with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday at a stately home south of London, with the two leaders saying the agenda includes global economics and the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Taking questions from reporters before their talks, Vance addressed the UK decision to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, saying he wasn’t sure what such recognition would even mean, “given the lack of a functional government there.”
Asked whether Trump had been given a heads up on Israel’s announced intent to occupy Gaza City, Vance said he wouldn't go into such conversations.
“If it was easy to bring peace to that region of the world, it would have been done already,” he said.
The meeting comes amid debates between Washington and London about the best way to end the wars between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Hamas. It’s also taking place as the United Kingdom tries to come to favorable terms for steel and aluminum exports to the US, and the two sides work out details of a broader trade deal announced at the end of June.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he hoped to meet with US President Donald Trump next week, comments that came a day before Trump’s deadline for Moscow to show progress in ending the nearly 3½-year war in Ukraine.
While Trump has focused on bilateral talks with Putin, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders have stressed that Ukraine must be part of any negotiations on ending the war.
The US and Britain, which have historically close ties known as “the special relationship,” have also disagreed on their approach to ending the war in Gaza.
The meeting took place at Chevening, an almost 400-year-old mansion surrounded by 3,000 acres (about 1,200 hectares) of gardens that serves as the foreign secretary’s official country residence.
About two dozen protesters were spotted on the road before the turnoff to the stately home. A few were wearing keffiyeh scarves and another held up a round sign that had a meme making fun of Vance printed on it.
