Trump hits out over calls from Starmer for US guarantees on Ukraine peace

Donald Trump has attacked European leaders for calling on 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 Mr Zelensky – just days after their heated Oval Office clash – for suggesting a deal to end the war with Russia “is still very, very far away”.

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office during the meeting that descended into acrimony | AFP via Getty Images

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer,” Mr 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?”

He later said European countries had “acted very well” and were “good people”.

“We’re going to make deals with everybody to get this war (finished), including Europe and European nations. And they’ve acted very well. You know, they’re good people … they want to work it out,” Mr Trump said at the White House.

Speaking in the Commons, Sir Keir 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.

Sir Keir Starmer makes a statement on Ukraine in the House of Commons | PA

“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 Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky 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 Mr Zelensky has since suggested he is ready to sign it.

Mr Trump had suggested the deal would effectively act as the security “backstop” from the US that Sir Keir 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, Sir Keir said no.

“The mineral deal is not enough on its own”, Sir Keir said in response to a question from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, an ally of Mr Trump.

Sir Keir said Mr Trump’s commitment to peace was “sincere” and that a security guarantee should be led by Europe but needs US backing.

Sir Keir 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”.

Earlier, the UK played down suggestions it supported a one-month truce in Ukraine as an initial step.

Downing Street said various options are on the table but insisted no plan has been agreed after France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said his country and Britain are backing the prospect of a limited ceasefire.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “What I’m not going to do is provide a running commentary on those options, but there are clearly a number of options on the table.”

But Sir Keir is clear that any peace deal “must be lasting, it must be durable, it must ensure that Ukraine has got significant defensive capabilities”.

Key to the discussions, led by Britain and France, has been an insistence on the inclusion of an American backstop as part of any peacekeeping deal in order to deter future Russian aggression.

Defence Secretary John Healey is expected to visit the US later this week for talks with his counterpart Pete Hegseth.

Meanwhile, the King has said he is “very conscious” of his global responsibility and unique diplomatic role and determined to put that to use, according to a royal source.

Charles met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday – just a day after he received Mr Zelensky at Sandringham.

The King has been hailed for offering a show of solidarity to Mr Zelensky by warmly welcoming him on Sunday afternoon after the president’s dramatic Oval Office clash with Mr Trump.

A royal source said: “It has been six days of royal diplomacy at its most delicate, deliberate and nuanced.

“His Majesty is very conscious of his responsibility globally, regionally and nationally – and passionately engaged in all the detail.”

The source added: “As a global statesman and a head of state for both the UK and Canada, the King’s role is highly significant, and His Majesty is determined to play his part, within appropriate parameters.

“His role by necessity and constitutional obligation is to offer symbolic gestures, rather than express comment.”

Although the King must remain politically neutral, he is able to advise and warn his ministers – including his prime ministers – when necessary.

The source described the King’s audiences with Mr Zelensky and Mr Trudeau as being “routine but highly significant, given the global context”.

Details of what is discussed at private audiences are not shared by Buckingham Palace, but it is understood that the challenges Canada faces with its nearest neighbour the US were high on the agenda, as was support for Ukraine.

The King, who has invited Mr Trump to pay an unprecedented second state visit to the UK, is increasingly being seen as a unifying figure despite the turmoil on the world’s political stage, through the royal family’s so-called “soft power” diplomacy.

The audiences required “high level engagement and high level sensitivity”, the source said.

Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened to make Canada the 51st state of America, claiming that without a massive subsidy from the US it “ceases to exist as a viable country”.

Mr Trudeau, who flew to London to join the emergency defence summit of European leaders at the weekend, had said he would raise his concerns on the matter with Charles, who is King of Canada.

Mr Trump has also vowed to impose tariffs on imported goods from Canada as soon as Tuesday amid his concerns over border crossings.

The King was planning to carry out an overseas tour to Canada last year, but this was postponed due to his cancer diagnosis.

There are hopes the visit could happen in 2026 after the Canadian elections this year, with the King said to be “wholly committed to and enthusiastic about” the prospect of returning for the first time as the country’s monarch.

Visiting Canada remains one of his “key international priorities”, the source said.