WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump said Thursday he is confident that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will “keep his word” if an agreement is reached to end Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trump said going through the “Russia hoax” ordeal gives him confidence that he can trust Putin in talks about the war in Ukraine that the Kremlin launched three years ago.

Early in Trump’s first term as president, the Republican was dogged by a special counsel-led investigation looking into the FBI’s probe of Russian interference in his 2016 campaign for the White House.

Trump made the comments during an exchange with reporters at the start of his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Starmer extended a state visit invitation to Trump on behalf of King Charles, and Trump accepted.

Starmer said the invitation for a second state visit — Trump already received the honor during his first term — was “historic” and “unprecedented.”

Starmer is visiting the White House on Thursday to try to convince Trump that a lasting peace in Ukraine will endure only if Kyiv and European leaders are at the table as negotiations move forward with Moscow.

Starmer’s trip, coming a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron’s own visit, reflects the mounting concern felt by much of Europe that Trump’s aggressive push to find an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine signals his willingness to concede too much to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We’re going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides,” Trump said Wednesday as he held the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. “For Ukraine, we’re going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much (land) back as possible.”

But the Republican president’s rapprochement with Russia has unsettled America’s historic allies in Europe. They have found themselves on their heels with Trump returning to the White House with a determination to dramatically make over U.S. foreign policy to correspond with his “America First” world view.

The Trump administration held talks last week with Russia without Ukrainian or other European allies represented. And this week, the U.S. refused to sign on to resolutions at the United Nations blaming Russia for the war, which began three years ago when Moscow invaded. The drifting White House view of Ukraine under Trump is leading to a tectonic shift in transatlantic relations.