Ending Russia’s war in Ukraine ‘can’t be peace that rewards aggressor’, U.K.’s Starmer says after talks with President Trump
The Hindu
Trump optimistic on Ukraine peace talks, but warns of narrow window; European allies concerned about concessions to Putin.
President Donald Trump said Thursday (February 27, 2025) that talks to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine are “very well advanced" but cautioned that there is only a narrow window to get a deal done to end the grinding war.
Mr. Trump made the comments as he hosted Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House for talks in which the British premier made his case that American leadership would be critical to maintaining the peace in Ukraine should the three-year war end.
Mr. Trump also expressed confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin won't press to restart the war if a truce can be reached.
“I think he'll keep his word," Mr. Trump said of Mr. Putin. “I've spoken to him. I've known him for a long time now, we had to go through the Russian hoax together.”
The mention of “Russia hoax” is a reference to the FBI and Justice Department special counsel investigation that examined whether Mr. Trump's 2016 presidential campaign illegally coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the U.S. election.
Special counsel Robert Mueller found that although the Trump campaign welcomed Russia's help in the form of the release of hacked emails stolen from Democrats, there was insufficient evidence to prove that the campaign had colluded with Moscow.
Mr. Starmer's trip, coming a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron's own visit to Mr. Trump, reflects the mounting concern felt by much of Europe that Mr. Trump's aggressive push to find an end to the war signals his willingness to concede too much to Putin.
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