Key details of agreement yet to be made public but US president has resisted agreeing to provide security guarantees
Trump says Putin would keep his word on a Ukraine peace deal
Looking at European papers today, there is a somewhat mixed sentiment about the deal that is expected to be signed later today.
Discussing Starmer’s visit to the White House, German magazine Der Spiegel joked that any meeting with Trump has “nail-biting potential,” as observers “never know how it will end.” “Will he want to annex, integrate, buy something? Or just rename?,” it said.
Donald Trump insisted that Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” on a peace deal for Ukraine during his meeting with Starmer. Trump also refused to commit to deploying US forces to support a European-led peacekeeping force.
However, Trump reiterated his support for the Nato principle of collective defence under Article 5 of the Nato treaty. He said “I support it. I don’t think we’re gonna have any reason for it. I think we’re going to have a very successful peace.”
After their bilateral meeting, Starmer said he had been clear that “the UK is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal.” He said he was “working closely with other European leaders on this” and that working with allies was “the only way that peace will last”.
Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign minister, has accused Donald Trump of falling for a Russian narrative by closing the door on Nato membership for Ukraine. “Why are we in Nato? It is because we are afraid of Russia. And the only thing that really works – the only security guarantee that works – is Nato’s umbrella,” she said.
Kallas – a former prime minister of Estonia, which borders Russia – also questioned Trump’s approach to a peace deal. “My question is, why we should give Russia what they want on top of what they have already done – attacking Ukraine, annexing territory, occupying territory, and now offering something on top of it? … Consider here in America that after 9/11 you would have sat down with Osama bin Laden and said ‘OK, what else do you want?’ I mean, it’s unimaginable.”
Given the tone of her comments, you will be probably somewhat less surprised to learn that her meeting with US counterpart Marco Rubio got cancelled at a very late notice due to, erm, “scheduling issues” – only after she landed in the US.
Russian forces staged mass strikes late on Thursday on energy targets in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, the regional governor said. Oleh Syniehubov said one man was injured in a Russian attack on the town of Balakliia, south-east of Kharkiv. Ukraine’s air force reported threats of attacks by glide bombs and drones in the region.
North Korea has sent more soldiers to Russia and redeployed several to the frontline in Kursk, the South Korean spy agency told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. “The exact scale is still being assessed,” an official said.
Nato allies to Ukraine are preparing billions more in aid and contributions to security guarantees, the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, said on Thursday, adding he had had a great talk with Donald Trump.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/28/volodymyr-zelenskyy-donald-trump-us-minerals-deal-russia-ukraine-live-news
Author : Jakub Krupa
Publish date : 2025-02-28 09:05:00
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