DONALD Trump has hit out at calls from European leaders for the US to provide security guarantees for any Ukraine peace deal.
The US president, who has led the push for a peace deal with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, said the European demand was showing weakness to the Kremlin.
His comments came as Sir Keir Starmer restated his call for “strong US backing” for any European-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister gathered leaders from Europe and Canada, including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, for talks in London on Sunday.
The US president also criticised Zelenskyy – just days after their heated Oval Office clash – for suggesting a deal to end the war with Russia “is still very, very far away”.
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelensky, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US – probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia.
“What are they thinking?”
Speaking in the Commons, Starmer again promised British troops and jets would be available to a peacekeeping force if a deal is done to end the war, along with a “coalition of the willing” from other nations.
“It is right that Europe do the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent,” he said.
“But to succeed, this effort must also have strong US backing.”
The Prime Minister said the proposed minerals deal between the US and Ukraine is “not enough” of a security guarantee on its own.
Plans for Trump and Zelenskyy to sign the minerals deal were put on hold after the Ukrainian leader left the White House early following their Oval Office bust-up.
But Zelenskyy has since suggested he is ready to sign it.
Trump had suggested the deal would effectively act as the security “backstop” from the US that Starmer has called for.
But asked in the House of Commons whether the US presence brought by that deal would in itself be enough of a security guarantee, Starmer said no.
“The mineral deal is not enough on its own”, Starmer said in response to a question from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, an ally of Trump.
Starmer said Trump’s commitment to peace was “sincere” and that a security guarantee should be led by Europe but needs US backing.
Starmer told MPs Britain needs to “lead from the front” and that the European “coalition of the willing” has been formed to avoid moving “at the speed of the most reluctant and that will be too slow”.
He also cautioned against accepting a “weak deal”.
