DONALD Trump suggested it will be Europe that ‘make[s] sure nothing happens” in Ukraine when it comes to security, after he said that Vladimir Putin would be happy to see peacekeeping forces on the ground in the event of a deal being struck to end the war.
The US’s role in any future deal is likely to be among the topics up for discussion later this week when Keir Starmer heads to Washington for talks, after he reiterated his calls for a US “backstop” to any deal.
It will be Trump’s second meeting with a European leader in days, following the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, which was the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
In an interview with Fox News following their meeting, Macron said it was “feasible” to talk about the start of negotiations for a sustainable peace within weeks.
He said: “We want peace. And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine.
“I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer. And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the US to reengage with Russia.”
The transatlantic alliance on the conflict has been shaken in recent weeks by the President’s comments on Ukraine and attempts to secure a deal with Russia over Ukraine’s head.
Speaking from the White House about security guarantees alongside Macron, the US President said: “Europe is going to make sure nothing happens.”
Earlier on, Trump had said Putin “will accept” peacekeepers. Starmer had previously stated he would be willing to put British troops on the ground as part of security guarantees that could end the war.
Addressing reporters alongside Macron, Trump said of the Russian president’s reaction to peacekeepers in Ukraine: “Yeah, he will accept it.
“I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he’s not looking for world war.”
Earlier this month, Keir wrote in The Daily Telegraph that the UK was “ready to play a leading role” in Ukraine’s defence and security.
“It also means being ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary,” he said.
“I do not say that lightly. I feel very deeply the responsibility that comes with potentially putting British servicemen and women in harm’s way”.
Russian officials have previously said that Moscow will not allow Nato or European troops to be deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers.
Trump also expressed hope that Volodymyr Zelenskyy could come to the US to sign a deal to give the US access to Ukraine’s critical minerals in the coming weeks.
Keir has been urged to follow Macron and be “firm and robust” with Trump after the French leader appeared to correct the US President on an assertion about European aid to Kyiv.
The Prime Minister avoided directly criticising the US leader last week after he called Zelenskyy a “dictator”, but did back the president in a call in which he called him the “democratically elected leader” of Ukraine.
Keir marked the third anniversary of the conflict on a call with other allies of Kyiv, telling them that Putin “does not hold all the cards in this war”.
It was an apparent response to Trump’s remarks last week that Russia has “the cards” in any peace talks because it has “taken a lot of territory”.
Separately, he told G7 leaders that “a US backstop will be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion in just a few years’ time”.
