Donald Trump has said he will meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Aberdeen when he visits Scotland later this month.
On Monday, Downing Street said Starmer was “pleased to accept” an invitation to an “informal” meeting with the US President, who is expected to travel to Scotland in July.
It comes ahead of an unprecedented second state visit for the President, which will see Trump and the First Lady hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle from September 17 to 19.
Trump was initially due to meet King Charles in Scotland this summer, but the visit was cancelled due to “diary reasons”.
In a BBC News interview on Tuesday, Trump confirmed his meeting with Starmer will be held in Aberdeen and spoke of the city’s links to the oil and gas industry.
“That’s gonna be up in Aberdeen, which is the oil capital of Europe,” he said, adding “They should bring it back too, they have so much oil there.
“They should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil.”
Trump is a big backer of oil and gas, known for his “drill, baby, drill” oil policy in the US and his stance against the building of wind turbines near his Menie Estate golf course in Aberdeenshire.
He spoke of his relationship with Starmer, quipping: “I really like the Prime Minister a lot, even though he’s a liberal.
He added: “He did a good trade deal with us, which a lot of countries haven’t been able to do.”
Trump last visited Scotland in 2023, attending a ceremony to break ground on a second golf course at the Menie Estate, which is due to be completed this summer.
The trip to Scotland will be his first since he was elected for a second term.
Police Scotland’s deputy chief constable said that the force will look to secure extra funding from the Scottish Government to police the visit.
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