Hours after the White House paused military aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, Zelensky said the row with the US president and his deputy JD Vance in the Oval Office was “regrettable” and that his team stood ready to sign an agreement on minerals with Washington.
Zelensky’s apparent climbdown came minutes after he spoke on the phone to Starmer – who is hoping to take a role of mediating between Kyiv and the White House and encouraging them to resolve their differences.
Starmer is understood to be cautiously optimistic that Zelensky’s comments will be received favourably by Trump, and is set to speak to the US President again in the near future.
President Zelensky later tweeted that he had spoken to Keir Starmer and was “grateful for the advice and support during this challenging time”.
But Starmer, who last weekend took over the lead for seeking a peace plan alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, spoke to Trump on Monday evening to push the case for the US to provide security guarantees.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke to his US counterpart Marco Rubio while Defence Secretary John Healey prepared to fly to Washington for talks with his opposite number Pete Hegseth.
UK could seize Russian assets to send to Ukraine
The UK is considering seizing Russian assets which have been frozen thanks to sanctions and deploying them to pay for Ukraine’s war efforts, ministers have confirmed.
The plan – also being weighed up by some European allies – may prove impossible because it risks breaking international law and undermining the attractiveness of Britain as a home for foreign investment.
But Rachel Reeves said she was open to the idea in response to a call from Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
The former Prime Minister said: “The Chancellor has rightly continued our policy of using the interest on frozen Russian state assets to benefit Ukraine, but I believe that now is the moment to go further by actually seizing those assets.”
Reeves replied to Sunak that it would be “incredibly complicated to do that in line with international law”, but added: “We keep all options on the table, because, as he is absolutely right to say, Russia should pay for the damage that Russia has caused.”
A No 10 spokesman add that it was “time to look at what options might be available”.
“The Prime Minister updated on his discussion with President Trump last night. It was vital that all parties worked towards a lasting and secure peace for Ukraine as soon as possible, the Prime Minister added.
“Turning to President Zelensky’s most recent calls for further diplomatic efforts to achieve the swiftest possible end to the war, the Prime Minister welcomed President Zelensky’s steadfast commitment to securing peace.”
Vance ‘random country’ comment sparks backlash
The US Vice President has sparked an angry backlash across the British political spectrum after he appeared to dismiss the contribution of the UK to Western war efforts over recent decades.
JD Vance said that Ukraine’s security could not be guaranteed by “20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 20 or 30 years”, following talks led by Britain and France on a Europe-wide peacekeeping force.
MPs from all parties hit out at Vance – although he insisted he had not meant to belittle the UK. And No 10 issued an implicit rebuke to the Vice President despite Sir Keir Starmer’s efforts to stay on good terms with the White House.
The Vice President’s comments came in a Fox News interview on Monday night in which he claimed that the US remained crucial to Ukraine’s future security.
Vance said: “If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine.
“That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 20 or 30 years.”
The remarks were widely seen as a reference to the UK and France, which are leading the efforts to come up with an alternative peace plan for Ukraine.
Britain supported US military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2001 onwards, with more than 600 members of the Armed Forces being killed in the two countries.
Labour MP Sean Woodcock said: “Shameful ignorance when British service personnel have fought and died alongside our US allies in recent decades.”
James Cleverly, the Conservative former foreign secretary, told Times Radio: “It was, I think, a foolish and insulting, throwaway remark. I understand that he has explained his position but I think it was a hurtful and thoughtless remark.”
And Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a close ally of Donald Trump, told GB News: “JD Vance is wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. For 20 years in Afghanistan, pro rata, our size against America’s, we spent the same amount of money, we put the same number of men and women in. We suffered the same losses.”
A spokesman for Starmer said: “The Prime Minister – and I think the whole country – is full of admiration for all British troops who have served for instance in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom have lost their lives in the process and fought obviously alongside allies including the United States.”
Vance claimed it was “absurdly dishonest” to accuse him of downplaying the bravery of British or French troops, adding: “I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond.”
twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1896972837828677752“None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians.
“We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.”
Zelensky added: “We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.
“Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Zelensky tells Trump he’s ‘ready for peace’ after crucial phone call with Starmer )
Also on site :