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Trump claims Zelensky is a dictator and Ukraine could soon cease to be a country
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Donald Trump has been strongly criticised by Ukraine’s allies for repeating Moscow’s claims about Volodymyr Zelensky as the US president tries to force a peace deal on Kyiv.
Mr Trump claimed on Wednesday that the Ukrainian president was “a dictator without elections” and warned him to move fast “or he is not going to have a country left”.
In the UK, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated his support for the “democratically-elected” Mr Zelensky and said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during wartime as the UK did during the second World War, after opposition politicians expressed alarm at seeing Mr Trump “parroting Putin’s propaganda”.
Australia’s defence minister Richard Marles called for the war to be negotiated on Ukraine’s terms, warning that “the integrity of the [global rules‑based order” is at stake. “Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator, and we shouldn’t be giving him an inch,” said Peter Dutton, the leader of the Liberal opposition party.
The Kremlin said on Thursday that it was monitoring statements by Sir Keir with concern, and insisted that any British plan to send troops to Ukraine as part of a potential peacekeeping mission would be unacceptable. to Moscow given the UK’s status as a Nato member.
Italy’s foreign minister has warned that that the security of Europe and Ukraine can be guaranteed only if the United States maintains its presence in the region.
“I’m absolutely convinced that the security of Ukraine and Europe cannot be guaranteed without the United States,” Antonio Tajani told a press conference in Rome.
Sir Keir Starmer will reportedly present US president Donald Trump with a peacekeeping plan to send fewer than 30,000 European troops to Ukraine when he flies to Washington, DC next week.
The “reassurance force”, an Anglo-French strategy designed by British and French officials, was presented at an emergency meeting in Paris earlier this week, according to The Telegraph.
Sir Keir will detail the plan to Mr Trump during his first official visit to the White House since the president’s election, the Telegraph reported, adding that he will push for US fighter jets and missiles to remain on standby in eastern Europe to deter Russian forces from breaching any agreed terms.
My colleague Alex Croft reports:
Six in 10 British voters believe it is likely that Russia will attack other European countries in the next 10 years, according to polling by YouGov.
Nearly eight in 10 of those surveyed said it was unacceptable for Ukraine not to be included in peace negotiations, with the majority believing it to be likely to the US and Russia will agree a peace deal in the next few months.
Nearly three quarters expect such a deal to leave Russia in possession of conquered territory – an outcome that 55 per cent of those polled said they would feel negatively about.
A former Tory MP who has joined Ukraine’s foreign legion has said that he would shoot a Russian soldier as part of his duties, my colleague Lucy Leeson reports.
Jack Lopresti, a former deputy chair of the Conservative Party, was previously the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke in Gloucestershire, but is now based in Kyiv using his skills in the ongoing war.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (20 February), Mr Lopresti was asked whether he would shoot a Russian solider, if needed to. He told presenter Richard Madeley: “Of course, I would … I would do whatever I can to help Ukraine.”
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has said he plans to travel to Ukraine on Monday to support president Volodymyr Zelensky.
In an apparent riposte to Donald Trump’s false characterisation of Mr Zelensky as a “dictator” – one which echoes the Kremlin’s propaganda – Mr Sanchez wrote on social media: “I’ll be in Kyiv on Monday to reaffirm Spain’s support for the Ukrainian democracy and President Zelensky.”
The risk of war in Europe is the highest it has ever been since the end of the Second World War, France’s prime minister François Bayrou has warned.
“Never since 1945 has the risk of war in Europe been so high,” Mr Bayrou was quoted by local outlets as saying, as France’s president Emmanuel held his third meeting in a week over Ukraine.
The French president is convening a meeting of French political leaders to discuss Ukraine this morning, following two separate emergency meetings with European leaders on Monday and Wednesday, called in the wake of Donald Trump’s moves to open discussions with Russia without including Kyiv.
Mr Macron, who is also expected to visit Washington next week, said: “We stand with Ukraine and will take full responsibility to ensure peace and security in Europe. This is the fundamental interest of France …We are convinced of the need to increase our defence and security spending and capabilities for Europe and each of our countries.”
As Sir Keir Starmer prepares for a crunch trip to visit Donald Trump in Washington, two of his top ministers are expected to spend Thursday in talks with other allies.
Defence secretary John Healey will continue his visit to Norway, where he has already met troops near the Russian border alongside his Norwegian counterpart Tore Sandvik.
In South Africa, foreign secretary David Lammy is attending a two-day meeting of G20 foreign ministers and is expected to directly criticise the Kremlin and emphasise the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine, as well as addressing other areas.
Ahead of the meeting, Mr Lammy said: “At this precarious geopolitical moment, we must work with the widest possible coalition of countries to stand up for Ukraine, build stability in the Middle East and act urgently on Sudan and the DRC.”
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Sir Keir Starmer’s ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, has dodged questions about Donald Trump’s claim that Volodomyr Zelensky is a dictator, saying his latest speech was “very interesting”.
It came after Mr Trump doubled down on his claim that the Ukrainian president is a “dictator without elections” in a speech on Wednesday evening in Miami.
Asked about the president’s Miami address, the US ambassador told Sky News that he is “looking forward” to Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to the White House next week – but refused to comment on the “dictator” claims.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed the importance of keeping the path open for Ukraine to join the European Union and rejected suggestions that the country was to blame for its invasion by Russia.
Asked whether he shared Donald Trump’s view – echoing claims by Vladimir Putin – that Ukraine was to blame for Russia’s full-scale invasion, Mr Scholz told public broadcaster ARD: “It is not. We in Europe insist on this.”
For this reason, he said, the EU was keeping the door open to Ukraine as a prospective member, adding: “Ukraine must not be hindered in its decision to be a democratic, sovereign nation on its way into Europe.”
In the case of a future peace settlement, Mr Scholz – who is not expected to emerge victorious in Germany’s elections this week – said Ukraine must have a strong army, “for which we in Europe and our international and transatlantic partners share responsibility”.
Ukraine’s military claims to have inflicted a further 1,190 casualties upon Vladimir Putin’s forces over the past 24 hours, as it reported another heavy day of fighting on the front line.
A total of 122 combat clashes were recorded over the past day, with Russia conducting 87 air strikes, firing close to 6,000 artillery shells and deploying more than 3,000 kamikaze drones, according to the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces.
As expected, the most intense fighting came in Donetsk, with Ukraine’s military chiefs claiming to have stopped 32 Russian attacks in the direction of Pokrovsk, the key city at the heart of Russia’s current offensive aims.
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