AS tensions rise between Europe and the US over a Ukraine peace deal, Britain and its allies have reportedly pledged to send billions more in aid to President Zelensky, according to a report.
The UK is reportedly set to funnel an extra £1.5 billion into “keeping Ukraine in the fight” until a peace deal can be agreed with Russia after Donald Trump blasted Zelensky as a “dictator”.
GettyUkraine is set to get billions more pounds in aid after tensions rise between Europe and the US[/caption]
APIt comes as Trump has made it his mission to reopen talks with Putin[/caption]
Trump’s more than 200-word blast doubled down on his views on Ukraine and Zelensky
The Mirror has been told by Western officials that the UK will send a total of £4.5billion to Ukraine this year after boosting the nation with £3billion each year since the conflict began in 2022.
The additional funding to “keep Ukraine in the fight until they get peace” will be taken from unfrozen Russian assets, it is claimed.
It is thought that the aid will help Ukraine find “peace through strength”.
It comes just hours after Zelensky outlined his nation’s goal to “end the war this year” as he called for “security guarantees”.
It comes as:
Zelensky said Trump was living in a ‘disinformation bubble’
Trump demanded elections in Ukraine
Ukraine warned Vlad is ‘bluffing’ over talks with Trump
Putin blitzed Ukraine leaving 160k without power
Nato held war games in Romania
US could withdraw troops from Nato’s frontline
Could the ‘Iron General’ be the new president on Ukraine?
The Ukrainian president also said the costs of the war in Ukraine so far sits at $320 billion, with $120 billion paid by Ukraine and the rest from the US and Europe – but Trump disputes the numbers.
He wrote in a post on Truth Social that the US has spent $350billion on supporting Ukraine.
Last week, Zelensky met with US Vice President JD Vance in Munich for crunch talks as relations between the US and Ukraine turn sour.
After the meeting, the Ukrainian president said his country is ready to move towards “real and guaranteed” peace but “not the kind of peace that’s going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple of years down the road.”
Additional aid has come from the US after former President Joe Biden signed off on sending more than £2billion to Ukraine before he left office.
But Biden’s final act is being seen as one of the last shows of support coming from the US after Trump strongly rebuked Zelensky saying he “played Biden like a fiddle”.
Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday calling Zelensky a “dictator” and a “moderately successful” comedian.
Ukraine has not held elections since 2019 due to the martial law edict – and Trump has framed Zelensky as an illegitmate leader.
The 78-year-old also accused Zelensky of having “talked the US into a war that couldn’t be won” as he seemingly sidelined the nation.
Trump has been attempting to open talks with Vladimir Putin to end the brutal war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump’s Truth Social post in full:
TRUMP blasted Zelensky in a new post on Truth Social.
“Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and “TRUMP,” will never be able to settle. The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn’t Sleepy Joe Biden demand Equalization, in that this War is far more important to Europe than it is to us — We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation. On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is “MISSING.” He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden “like a fiddle.” A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only “TRUMP,” and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the “gravy train” going. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…..”
It is a move that has been blasted by world leaders and sparked concerns for Zelensky, who feels frozen out of talks and has said Ukraine will not accept any deal made without their input.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan slammed Trump’s move as “bonkers” while the UK’s former defence secretary Ben Wallace also criticised the new president.
Wallace told LBC: “I know Mar-a-Largo is quite close to Disney World, but that was pure Disney in both sort of facts and reality.”
Trump’s move closer to Russia is signifying efforts to bring Putin back in from the cold.
He has boasted of “successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something…only TRUMP, and the Trump Administration, can do.”
US and Russian officials met on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to begin peace talks with Europe and Ukraine not having a seat at the table.
There is also set to be a face-to-face summit in the coming weeks between Trump and Vlad.
European leaders have been wrong-footed by Trump’s screeching reversal of his predecessor Biden’s support for Kyiv.
And now they are scrambling to figure out how – if they can at all – support Ukraine in the fact of a total withdrawal by the US.
Trump’s post came just hours after Zelensky blasted the US President – accusing him of living in a “Russian disinformation bubble”.
Key European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday after they felt they had been sidelined by the Trump administration following the historic peace talks between the US and Russia.
The UK has continued to stand by Ukraine in a move threatening the special relationship with the US.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday that Ukraine is on an “irreversible path to Nato” and has said that troops could be sent to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force to guarantee Kyiv’s security.
On Thursday, the PM said Ukraine had to be part of talks about its future and he also spoke to Trump as the two countries take a different line on Ukraine.
Starmer has vowed that the UK will “do our bit” which is likely to put pressure on allies to also publicly support the idea of a European peacekeeping force in war-torn Ukraine.
Starmer has also suggested that Britain could play a “unique role”, acting as a bridge between Europe and the US during the peace process in Ukraine.
Meanwhile US intelligence and its closest allies warn that Putin doesn’t plan on abandoning his goal and believes he can outlast Ukraine and Europe to seize full control of the country.
One congressional source told NBC that the US has “zero intelligence that Putin is interested in a real peace deal right now”.
And a Western intelligence source said that the dictator “thinks he’s winning,” despite the gargantuan figure of Russian casualties.
Another added that while Putin may agree to a “ceasefire” in Ukraine, it would be for a chilling ulterior motive to rebuild his armed forces.
In a press conference on Friday morning, Zelensky warned the West that Putin is preparing for war against Nato in the next 12 months.
The Mega AgencyInformal meeting on the situation in Ukraine and security issues in Europe at the Palais de l’Elys¿e in Paris, 17 February 2025. 17 Feb 2025 Pictured: Keir Starmer. Photo credit: KCS Presse / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com [email protected][/caption]
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