THE White House has slammed Kyiv for “insulting” Donald Trump as the US President has been left “frustrated” with his Ukrainian counterpart.
But, the American has “welcomed” Sir Keir Starmer’s proposal to send 30,000 UK and European troops into Ukraine after a ceasefire deal is inked.
The 45th Artillery Brigade firing toward Russian positions, in the Donetsk region[/caption]
Peace talks were held between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia last week without Ukraine or any of its allies[/caption]
Fears are rising that Trump’s desperation to end the war in Ukraine will see him capitulate to Putin[/caption]
The latest comments from National Security Advisor Mike Waltz come after a joint press conference between Zelensky and Trump’s envoy in Ukraine was cancelled on Thursday.
US-Ukraine relations took a dive when Trump branded Zelensky a “dictator” and Kyiv slammed his attempts at peace talks with Russia and accused him of being “in a disinformation bubble”.
At Thursday’s press conference, Waltz highlighted the White House’s desire to see some “appreciation” from Ukraine rather than “insults” thrown at its leader.
He said: “His frustration with President Zelensky is multi fold – one, there needs to be a deep appreciation for what the American people, the American taxpayer, Trump did in his first term and what we have done since.
“Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, and frankly, insults to President Trump are unacceptable.”
He added that the Ukrainian president “needs to come back to the table” to continue discussions about the minerals deal with Washington for providing billions in aid during the war.
Waltz had previously told Fox News that pushback on the deal and how Trump is conducting peace talks is “simply unacceptable”.
Trump has since issued an “improved” draft of the minerals agreement in a bid to get Zelensky’s signature after he refused the initial proposal, a Ukrainian official, a U.S. official and three sources with knowledge told Axios.
“There was significant improvement in the recent draft and it is in conformity with Ukrainian law,” a source said.
A White House official added: “This is a negotiation. And in a negotiation, you negotiate. Ukraine wants to negotiate minerals, so we’re talking about it.”
The plan to tap into Ukraine’s wealth of natural resources is a way for the country to get “long-term security” while the US “recoups” the money it has spent on the war, Waltz said on Thursday.
Trump lashed out at Zelensky in a shocking rant accusing him of talking the US into “spending $350 billion to go into a war that couldn’t be won.”
Waltz said that Ukraine needs to “take a hard look and sign the deal.”
Zelensky discussed the proposal with US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and after the meeting thanked the US for its assistance and bipartisan support.
President Donald Trump continues to be frustrated with Zelensky but welcomes European peacekeeping plans for Ukraine[/caption]
Zelensky’s joint press conference with the US was cancelled at the last minute on Thursday[/caption]
Europe has been told to ‘step up’ after the US claims it has not done enough with a ‘war on its doorstep’[/caption]
The heroic president’s comments came just hours after US officials scrapped the joint press conference between Zelensky and Kellogg.
On X, Zelensky said: “Ukraine is ready for a strong, effective investment and security agreement with the President of the United States.
“We have proposed the fastest and most constructive way to achieve results.
“Our team is ready to work 24/7. Success unites us all. Strong Ukraine-U.S. relations benefit the entire world.”
Security gurantees
As European leaders scramble to ease tensions, the White House has said it is welcoming their security guarantees for the war-torn country.
After Trump held peace negotiations with Russia in Saudi Arabia, western leaders were left reeling after being frozen out of talks and held an emergency meeting in Paris.
The UK and France have since suggested a peacekeeping plan that PM Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to propose to Trump in Washington next week.
It is said to involve putting up to 30,000 UK and European troops on the ground, an idea that Putin has said it “unacceptable.”
Starmer has backed Ukraine in the ongoing feud with Trump, but is hoping to act as a mediator between the US and Europe when he meets the President on Thursday.
He is set to show Trump how European forces can help protect any peace deal that is secured to deter Russia from breaking the terms of the agreement.
Meanwhile, Macron who is set to meet with Trump on Monday has said he plans to tell the President that he cannot be weak when confronted by Putin.
Speaking on a live Q&A on X, the President said: “I’m going to tell him: ‘You can’t be weak with President Putin. That’s not who you are, it’s not your trademark, it’s not in your interest.’”
Western officials briefed on the Anglo-French peace plans have signalled that a peacekeeping force to police a 1000km frontline could be as small as 30,000 troops.
This is despite Ukraine’s President Zelensky saying it would take at least 200,000 soldiers to deter a new Russian invasion.
But a senior western official said: “30,000 feels still on the high side, because the purpose of that force would be predominantly around reassurance and trying to instil some confidence in the Ukraine population and in the state.”
Crisis talks were held in Paris earlier this weeks after Europe was frozen out of peace talks between Russia and the US[/caption]
French President Emmanuel Macron and the UK PM drew up a peacekeeping plan as European leaders are divided over putting boots on the ground[/caption]
Zelensky had a ‘productive meeting’ with US special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on Thursday[/caption]
He said the troops would have specific tasks such as showing the world “that nuclear power plants are now under an international security umbrella to allow the surveys to take place, to allow the maintenance to be caught up.”
The PM is expected to ask for American jets and weapons to be on standby in Eastern Europe under the plan, the Telegraph reported, which could be seen as too much responsibility on the US.
It comes as Waltz said that “Europe needs to step up.”
He said: “We’ve made it clear for years, decades even, that it is unacceptable that the US and US taxpayer continues to bear the burden not only of the cost of the war in Ukraine but of the defence of Europe.
“We fully support our NATO allies, we fully support the Article 5 commitment, but it’s time for our European allies to step up.”
He added that despite European allies having had a “war on their doorstep” they have put the burden of defence “on somebody else.”
Waltz highlighted that a third of NATO allies are not meeting the 2 per cent minimum in defence spending that was agreed upon years ago.
“Europe needs to step up for their own defence as a partner – we can be friends and allies and have those tough conversations,” he said.
He reiterated that “Trump’s goal is to bring this war to an end. Period.”
‘Critical moment’
As Starmer prepares to meet with Trump, the UK’s foreign secretary David Lammy has said the UK will be a “bridge” between the US and Europe regarding peace negotiations.
He added that the Government stands firm with the belief that Ukraine must be included in such talks, but agreed with Trump that Europe must take more responsibility.
“We do have to do more. This is a critical moment,” he said.
Lammy said he disbelieves that Russia truly has “an appetite for peace” and added, “we’ve not got anywhere near a negotiated settlement”.
Meanwhile, the former head of MI6 has said that Ukraine will be forced to accept an “imperfect deal” to bring an end to the conflict.
Sir John Sawers told Sky News that the only deal open to Zelensky will be an “imperfect one.”
“If there’s a cessation of hostilities, it’ll be roughly along the current frontline,” he said.
“It won’t be a perfect deal. You can’t have a perfect deal after the terrible invasion that Russia started three years ago and the war which has gone on ever since.
“But if we can bring an end to this bloody conflict and ensure that Ukraine remains an independent country with its own sovereign decision-making, that is an imperfection which is acceptable, I think.”
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