Lord Cameron met Donald Trump in Florida last night as the Foreign Secretarykicked of an effort to unlock more US aid for Ukraine's war against Russia.
The surprise talks came at the start of a US trip where Lord Cameron will urge Republicans to unblock money for Kyiv that is being held up by politicking on Capitol Hill.
They are believed to have discussed Ukraine, the future of Nato and the war in Gaza at the former president's sprawling Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. But it may have been slightly fraught given relationship between the men in their previous roles.
Lord Cameron is the first senior member of the UK government to visit Trump since he left office in 2021 - andcalled him 'divisive, stupid and wrong' when he was Prime Minister in 2016.
He later accused the former president of being 'protectionist, xenophobic, [and] misogynistic.'
But Trump is also the Republican candidate in November's presidential election, meaning there is a good chance he will be in the White House again next year.
The peer is also due to meet Biden administration figures, including counterpart Anthony Blinken.
DavidCameron was due to sit down with the current Republican frontrunner at his Mar-a-Lago resort
Cameron is the first senior member of the UK government to visit Trump (pictured) since he left office in 2021
In a statement on Monday, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'Ahead of his visit to Washington, the Foreign Secretary will meet former President Trump in Florida today.
'It is standard practice for ministers to meet with opposition candidates as part of their routine international engagement.'
The former prime minister's interventions haven't always been welcomed in the US, with hardline Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly telling Cameron to 'kiss my ass' after he pushed Congress to pass the aid package back in December.
Cameron is currently in the US on an official trip to bolster support forUkraine as the US' House of Representatives bicker over a massive $60billion military aid package, which the Senate, Congress' upper house, passed nearly two months ago
But a minority of Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, have repeatedly blocked it from being rubber stamped, claiming that the security of the US's border with Mexico is deemed to be a more significant issue with the party's supporters.
READ MORE:Trump's 'secret plan' to end the war in Ukraine would make Kyiv give up some of its territory to Russia
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Their stance saw Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warn over the weekend that his country will lose the war if the funding is not swiftly approved.
Cameron is also set to meet the US' Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to lobby the Biden administration directly, as well as Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate.
He issued a fresh plea for the US to support Ukraine last night, saying: 'Success for Ukraine and failure for Putin are vital for American and European security.
'This will show that borders matter, that aggression doesn't pay and that countries like Ukraine are free to choose their own future.
'The alternative would only encourage Putin in further attempts to re-draw European borders by force, and would be heard clearly in Beijing, Tehran and North Korea.
The US House of Representatives, which is led by Speaker Mike Johnson (pictured), has refused to pass the aid
US president Joe Biden managed to get the Senate to pass the aid
'US support for Ukraine has massively degraded the military capacity of a common adversary, Russia has lost half of its pre-invasion land combat power, and a quarter of its original Black Sea fleet, while creating jobs at home and strengthening the Western alliance and NATO.'
In recent months, the significant reduction in military aid from the US has forced Ukrainian troops on to the backfoot. They have been forced to concede territory to Putin's soldiers who, along some stretches of the frontline, have outgunned them by a ratio of six shells to one.
However, the Republicans blocking the Ukraine funding have earned the support of Donald Trump. The former president, who could return to the White House in 2025, wants an end to the conflict even on Russia's terms.
As the Mail has recently revealed, UK funding for Ukraine has dropped compared with European allies. German support is set to trump the UK threefold in 2024/25, which is also being outstripped by donations from Scandinavia.
A local resident walks through the ruins of a house destroyed by recent shelling, which local Russian-installed authorities called a Ukrainian military strike
A communal worker sits in a crater after missiles strike in Kharkiv
Lord Cameron's visit will also add to the focus on the Middle East, including the path to a ceasefire in Gaza and increased humanitarian aid, as well as a push for an independent investigation into the deaths of seven aid workers, including three Britons, in a Israeli drone strike on an aid convoy.
He is expected to face questions about arms exports to Israel amid growing pressure after the deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary will say the killings, which included three British nationals, were 'completely unacceptable' and call for 'major changes' as he meets US secretary of state Antony Blinken.
Lord Cameron is widely seen as having taken a more strident approach towards criticism of Israel than some of his Cabinet colleagues, though Downing Street has insisted the Government is 'completely united' in its stance.
The Foreign Office said the Washington visit would be used to underline that the deaths of the humanitarian workers were 'completely unacceptable and that major changes need to be made to ensure the safety of aid workers on the ground'.
The UK and US 'have been clear in Israel's right to self-defence in accordance with international law', the department said.
