Vladimir Putin has warned ‘western elites’ not to disrupt talks between Russia and the United States on a potential Ukraine peace deal – hours before Donald Trump is set to meet Sir Keir Starmer.
The prime minister is in Washington today seeking a US backstop to any future European peacekeeping force in a post-war Ukraine.
He has been appealing for Trump to stop Putin ‘coming again’ after a rushed peace deal, arguing America must help guarantee the terms – which Washington has so far made no commitment on.
Speaking after a series of meetings between US and Russian officials in recent weeks, Putin told a meeting of intelligence chiefs today: ‘The first contacts with the new US administration give some hope. There is a mutual desire to work on restoring relations.’
However he warned that ‘some western elites will try to undermine our dialogue’ – an apparent swipe at Starmer and European leaders who have been vying to get their voices heard and a seat at the negotiations table for Ukraine.
As relations between Moscow and Washington appear to have warmed with Trump’s return to the White House, Kyiv has been cast out, with the US president aiming increasingly inflammatory rhetoric at Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian leader is set to meet with his American counterpart tomorrow, in what is likely to be a tense face-to-face after Trump labelled him ‘a dictator without elections’ and a ‘terrible’ leader.
Trump reportedly wanted to cancel the meeting, according to French media, but was convinced to go ahead with it by France’s President Macron who apparently assured him that Zelensky would no use it to discuss demands such as NATO membership.
Vladimir Putin has warned ‘western elites’ not to disrupt talks between Russia and the United States on a potential Ukraine peace deal
The prime minister is in Washington today seeking a US backstop to any future European peacekeeping force in a post-war Ukraine
Trump reportedly wanted to cancel the meeting with Zelensky, according to French media
Zelensky reportedly received a call from ‘someone in the Trump administration telling him not to bother getting on a plane because Trump would not see him,’ French news network BFMTV reports.
Starmer’s trip to the White House builds on a visit by Macron earlier this week, amid spiraling concerns in Europe that Trump is taking Russia’s side and will sever the decades-old transatlantic alliance.
But in a marked departure from the position held by Paris, London and Berlin that Moscow should remain isolated over the war on Ukraine, the French president conceded that Trump was right to establish a relationship with Putin.
‘There is good reason for President Trump to re-engage with President Putin,’ Macron said, adding that the new administration represented ‘a big change’.
Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated Britain’s ‘ironclad’ backing for Kyiv in a series of discussions with allies over the weekend as he make the case for safeguards to protect the country’s sovereignty.
‘The security guarantee has to be sufficient to deter Putin,’ Starmer told reporters on the plane to Washington.
‘If there is a ceasefire without a backstop, it will simply give him the opportunity to wait and to come again, because his ambition in relation to Ukraine is pretty obvious.’
‘We realise that not everyone is happy with the resumption of the Russian-American contacts,’ Putin told a meeting of the board of his Federal Security Service, successor to the feared Soviet KGB.
‘Part of the Western elites is still determined to maintain instability in the world. And these forces will try to disrupt or compromise the dialogue that has begun.’
He vowed: ‘We need to take this into account and use all possibilities of diplomacy and special services to disrupt such attempts.’
He told his counterintelligence chiefs: ‘The FSB needs to continue its systematic work in all relevant areas.’
He went on: ‘I note that the first contacts with the new American administration inspire certain hopes.
‘There is a reciprocal mood to work to restore intergovernmental ties and to gradually resolve the huge number of systemic and strategic problems that have built up in the world’s security architecture.’
As well as disrupting the West, the FSB – which Putin once headed – must tackle ‘international terrorism’ and protect military, industrial, transport and energy infrastructure.
But the West – apart from America – was collapsing, according to Putin. ‘You and I can see that the Western community itself has also begun to fall apart from within.’ he said.
‘This is evidenced by the problems in the economies of many Western countries and in domestic politics. We all see this. This is especially evident in the course of domestic political events in these countries.’
Taoiseach Micheal Martin (left) during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at Shannon Airport in County Clare before the Ukrainian president travels to the US
Fearing that a rushed ceasefire could do little to deter Putin and give the dictator time to build up his forces for a second invasion, Europeans are seeking possible US contributions like air cover, intelligence and logistics support.
Trump has appeared cool on providing US security, with the president having long pushed for European nations to take more of the burden for supporting Ukraine.
‘Well I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We’re going to have Europe do that,’ Trump told reporters as he held the first cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday.
A senior Trump administration official said the backstop was ‘obviously very high on our European allies’ agenda’ but said securing a proper ceasefire first was more important.
‘The type of force depends very much on the political settlement that is made to end the war. And I think that trade-off is part of what the leaders today are going to be discussing,’ the official told reporters.
The PM did however receive a boost ahead of the talks as US officials praised the UK’s commitment to hike spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP, and the PM’s offer of troops for any Ukraine peace deal.
The endorsement came ahead of Sir Keir’s talks with the president this evening, with a bewildering array of potential flashpoints.
Ukrainian servicemen of the 24th Mechanized Brigade firing a MRLS BM-21 ‘Grad’ towards Russian positions amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine
A senior Trump administration official said this afternoon: ‘We’re very pleased with Prime Minister Starmer’s announcement to increase spending to 2.5 per cent of the UK is GDP.
‘President Trump does continue to urge our NATO allies to increase their spending even further toward 5 per cent to address years of underfunding in the defense capabilities of NATO.
‘We appreciate President Starmer’s leadership, also in his recent discussions committing British troops to help enforce peace once a deal is reached.’
Sir Keir will also use today’s talks to pitch for the UK to be spared tariffs as the US goes on the attack over what it claims are unfair trade arrangements with the rest of the world.
He is thought to be armed with an invite from the King for a state visit to the UK as he bids to win over the president.
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