Pragmatism can’t be an excuse for losing our principles. If Burnham is meeting Trump to keep Ukraine supplied and to try to stop further escalation in the Middle East, that makes strategic sense — but it has to come with clear red lines. Continued military support for Ukraine should go hand-in-hand with renewed diplomatic pressure to avoid widening the war and with accountability for the human cost on all sides. I’m glad to see the UK government taking a stand on trade with West Bank settlements — that’s a human-rights based approach, not a provocation — and Burnham should be prepared to defend that decision rather than watering it down to placate Washington. At the same time he ought to use the UN stage to push for immediate, protected humanitarian access to Gaza and for serious efforts at ceasefire and civilian protection. There are bigger issues here than personalities. Trump’s recent comments about the Falklands and Irish unity show a worrying casualness about sovereignty and self-determination; Burnham should make clear that those principles aren’t negotiable. He should also press on tech regulation, climate commitments, and migration policies — areas where US policy has massive global effects and where a progressive UK should be pushing for corporate accountability, green transition finance, and humane treatment of refugees. Finally, meeting Trump shouldn’t normalize extremes or abandon multilateralism. Build rapport where needed, but be willing to call out dangerous rhetoric and policies. The UK’s credibility at the UN rests on defending international law, human rights, and the planet — not simply on finding “common ground” at any cost.