The defence secretary has mentioned it’s in America’s “interest” that NATO stays robust and unified.
John Healey was responding to a query about whether or not the US president may be trusted to ship sturdy peace in Ukraine – given his latest assaults on Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Politics Reside: Farage breaks silence over Trump’s Ukraine assaults
He didn’t reply instantly however mentioned: “Europe’s best security interests and America’s best security interests are satisfied by an end to this war in Ukraine and by a strong, unified NATO.
“That is an argument that we’re having and have mentioned with the People and can proceed to make.”
Mr Healey refuted a few of Mr Trump’s latest remarks, together with that Vladimir Putin “holds all the cards” relating to peace talks as a result of he has already taken “a lot of territory”, and that President Zelenskyy is a “dictator”.
The cupboard minister mentioned Mr Putin “holds the cards in the sense that he could end the war if he withdrew his troops”.
On Mr Zelenskyy, he mentioned: “He was elected. He’s the elected leader of Ukraine, and he’s done what Winston Churchill did in Britain in the Second World War; suspended elections while at war.”
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John Healey pledges help for Ukraine
Mr Healey was talking at a press convention in Norway, the place negotiations have began on a brand new defence pact geared toward combatting the menace from Russia within the Arctic.
The transfer in direction of the defence settlement comes as European international locations proceed to reel from the sharp shift in US overseas coverage.
Mr Trump has urged European nations to spend extra on their very own cash on defence and has locked NATO allies out of preliminary peace talks over the way forward for Ukraine with Russia.
He has made clear the safety of Europe is not the US’s defence precedence and has this week attacked Ukraine’s president Mr Zelenskyy, suggesting he’s responsible for the Russian invasion, calling him a “dictator” and saying he “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left”.
UK politicians have jumped to Mr Zelenskyy’s defence however most have stopped wanting outwardly criticising Mr Trump.
Picture:
Defence Secretary John Healey. Pic: PA
Sir Keir Starmer spoke with Mr Zelenskyy on the cellphone final night time calling him “Ukraine’s democratically elected leader”.
Comparable phrases had been utilized by Conservative chief Kemi Badenoch, by Liberal Democrat chief Sir Ed Davey went additional and accused Mr Trump of “lies”.
On Thursday, Reform UK chief Nigel Farage additionally broke his silence – saying Mr Zelenskyy is “not a dictator” and other people ought to take what Mr Trump says “seriously, not literally”.
The row between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy comes forward of a gathering between Sir Keir and the US president in Washington DC subsequent week
The assembly might be Sir Keir’s first with Mr Trump since his inauguration as US president in January, and can see Britain try and steadiness its help for Ukraine with the necessity to preserve the White Home onside because it presses on with commerce tariffs.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy mentioned {that a} “role for Europe” ultimately to the battle in Ukraine is prone to be among the many matters the prime minister will convey up for dialogue within the US.
