Britain builds bridges with Trump: Donald hosts Foreign Secretary David Cameron at Mar-a-Lago for talks on support for Ukraine, 'admiration' for the Queen and elections on both sides of the Atlantic

Donald Trump and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron discussed Ukraine, elections on both sides of the Atlantic and their shared admiration for Queen Elizabeth II over dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Monday evening, according to the Trump campaign.

European leaders are desperate to secure more aid for Ukrainian forces battling Russian invaders and have identified Trump as key to overturning Republican support.

But at the same time, the British government is understood to be keen to build relations with the man who might be the next American president after being taken by surprise by his 2016 victory.

They were joined at dinner by British Ambassador Dame Karen Pierce. 

An insider said it was 'warm' and 'productive.' 

Donald Trump and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron discussed Ukraine, elections on both sides of the Atlantic and their shared admiration for Queen Elizabeth II over dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Monday evening, according to the Trump campaign

The two had dinner at Trump's Florida home and political base Mar-a-Lago 

'Among the topics discussed were the upcoming US and UK elections, policy matters specific to Brexit, the need for NATO countries to meet their defense spending requirements, and ending the killing in Ukraine,' said the Trump campaign in a readout of the meeting.

'President Trump, Secretary Cameron and Ambassador Pierce also discussed their mutual admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth II.'

Trump is known to be a huge fan of the late queen and has praised her frequently.

The meeting was a reminder of how the former president used his Mar-a-Lago home when in office, using it as his winter White House, meeting visiting dignitaries on the terrace, brushing shoulders with club members. 

But the dinner raised questions about the protocol of a British foreign secretary meeting a former president before he met Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, D.C.

British officials preempted any controversy by pointing reporters to previous examples when ministers met opposition leaders.

The pointed out that the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, met Blinken in February. 

'This meeting follows standard practice for engagement between ministers and opposition candidates of partner nations,' said a source.

Cameron also rebuffed the question at Tuesday press conference after meeting Blinken. 

The pair discussed their admiration for the late Queen, according to Trump campaign readout

On Tuesday, Cameron met with his American counterpart Antony Blinken

'This was entirely in line with precedent of government ministers, meeting with opposition politicians in the run up to elections,' he said. 

'I remember when I was prime minister meeting Mitt Romney when he was a candidate. I remember Gordon Brown meeting Barack Obama when he was a candidate.'

He offered no further details on what he said was a 'private meeting.'   

Officials are also keen to avoid a repeat of 2016 when the British government had to scramble to build relations with the Trump administration after his shock win.

Diplomats used former Gov. Chris Christie as their point of communication but he was dumped out during a power struggle with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner before the new administration took power.

It meant that British officials ended up using Sebastian Gorka as their go-to Trump insider. He was born in Britain but was only ever a fringe figure in the administration.

A key sticking point in sending aid to Ukraine is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. In February she mocked Cameron's assertion that not funding Ukraine was similar to the appeasement of Adolf Hitler in the lead-up to World War II 

A local resident walks through the ruins of a house destroyed by recent shelling, which local Russian-installed authorities called a Ukrainian military strike

Afterwards, insiders admitted they had simply been unprepared for Trump's election victory. 

Cameron was meeting Blinken on Tuesday morning and was also expected to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

However, he is not expected to meet House Speaker Mike Johnson, a key figure in moving a bill to send more aid to Ukraine.

A British official said their diaries did not 'align.'

Cameron said he had not come to Washington to tell American lawmakers what to do. 

'I always do this with great trepidation. It's not for foreign politicians to tell legislators in another country what to do,' he said. 

'It's just that I'm so passionate about the importance of defending Ukraine against this aggression, that I think it is absolutely in the interests of US security that Putin fails in his illegal invasion.'

Johnson is almost certain to face a leadership challenge if he tables a bill amid opposition from Trump allies such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.