Europe swings in behind Ukraine, will increase defence spending ‘in days’

The UK Prime Minister has assured Ukraine of Britain’s support in the war with Russia and told Volodymyr Zelensky his decision not to hold elections in war-time was ‘reasonable.’

France's President Emmanuel Macronhas led European talks on Ukraine. Picture: AFP.

Keir Starmer has assured Ukraine of Britain’s support and defended Volodymyr Zelensky against Donald Trump’s accusation the Ukrainian President was a “dictator.”

On Thursday (AEDT) the US President launched an extraordinary attack on Mr Zelensky, describing him as a “dictator without elections and saying the Ukrainian leader had done a “terrible job” and suggesting he was more interested in receiving billions of dollars in assistance than ending the war.

Mr Trump made the claims on his Truth Social site and repeated them in an address to a Saudi-backed tech conference in Miami, saying the Biden administration had been giving Ukraine money “hand over fist”, but stressed that Mr Zelensky was “not dealing with the same United States” now.

Without hours of his first withering attack European countries rallied to Ukraine’s support, promising increased defence and security spending “within days and weeks”.

Sir Keir called Mr Zelensky to assure him of Britain’s support, and to dismiss the President’s claims of a dictatorship. In a statement after the call the Prime Minister’s office said: “The prime minister expressed his support for President Zelensky as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader and said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time, as the UK did during the Second World War.

“The prime minister reiterated his support for the US-led efforts to get a lasting peace in Ukraine that deterred Russia from any future aggression.”

Sir Keir has insisted the Trump administration needs to help by providing the backbone of a peacekeeping force if any peace deal is struck.

The British Prime Minister will be travelling to the US for a meeting with Mr Trump next week and hopes to become a mediator in the rapidly declining relationships between Ukraine and Europe with the United States.

The UK Telegraph reports that Sir Keir will present Mr Trump with a plan to send fewer than 30,000 European troops to Ukraine, but will urge Mr Trump to have US fighter jets and missiles on standby in Eastern Europe in case Russia broke a ceasefire and attacked again.

The London Times reports an “air policing” mission — which could involve Typhoons — could be deployed to protect Ukraine’s airspace and enable commercial flights to the capital.

Meanwhile Russian president Vladimir Putin hailed the US president for his “objective information” about the war in Ukraine and said he “highly rated” this week’s talks between Russia and the United States in Riyadh.

“Russia and the US are co-operating on economic issues, energy markets, space, and other areas,” Mr Putin said, adding that he was happy to meet Mr Trump, but “preparation was necessary”.

Calling Russia an “existential threat” to Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron also threw his support behind Mr Zelensky.

“We wish for a lasting and solid peace in Ukraine,’’ Mr Macron said on Twitter.

“We stand alongside Ukraine and will take all our responsibilities to ensure peace and security in Europe. This is France’s fundamental interest and I am its guarantor.”

Mr Macron said Europe’s shared objective was to end Russia’s war of aggression, with Ukraine involved and the country’s rights respected.

He said peace must be lasting and accompanied by robust and credible guarantees and that European security concerns will have to be taken into account.

“We are convinced of the need to increase our defence and security spending and capabilities for Europe and each of our countries. Decisions will be taken in the coming days and weeks,” Mr Macron said.

On Wednesday as the extraordinary war of words played out between Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump, with a supporting act from US Vice-President JD Vance, Mr Zelensky was shoring up further support from Turkey and NATO.

He said he discussed with President Erdoğan, Turkey’s role in providing security guarantees.

“Ukraine needs broad representation from countries: Europe, including the UK and Türkiye, and the US,” Mr Zelensky said on Twitter. Mr Zelensky added he had a “good and substantive conversation” with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, who had just met with US General Keith Kellogg.

“The key messages align with our goal of achieving guaranteed peace, not just a temporary ceasefire. There must be confidence that in a few months or years, Putin won’t return with his war,” Mr Zelensky said.

“We also discussed our future contacts with partners and co-ordinated our next steps. We cannot allow Putin to deceive everyone again. Before any potential negotiations, all partners must clearly understand that strong security guarantees are the priority for lasting peace.”

After accusing Mr Trump of operating in a disinformation bubble, Mr Zelensky has also been seeking support from European neighbours about forming a European army inside of Ukraine to fill any void if the Americans completely withdraw their support.

Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Mr Trump’s labelling of Mr Zelensky as a “dictator” was “wrong and dangerous”

He told Der Spiegel: “What is correct is that Volodymyr Zelensky is the elected head of state of Ukraine”.

Britains’ opposition leader Kemi Badenoch earlier said the same thing.

“He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine,” Ms Badenoch said. She said however that Mr Trump was “right that Europe needs to pull its weight – and that includes the UK”.

JD Vance warned Mr Zelensky about publicly airing grievances about President Trump.

“He’s attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now,” he told the National Pulse.

“And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”

Ukrainians have been shocked at the rapid deterioration in relationships with one of their key backers.

The speaker of the Ukraine parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk said Ukraine was not “giving up” on elections but explained the vote had been deferred under the current martial law conditions of war.

“Inventing ‘democracy’ under shelling is not democracy, but a spectacle in which the main beneficiary is in the Kremlin. Ukraine needs bullets, not ballots,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

If there was any doubt about the quickly changing dynamics of US support in Ukraine, and in a broader sense, also directed at Europe, Mr Trump’s latest missive makes it clear.

Mr Trump wrote: “I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died.”

Mr Trump says meanwhile that the US is “successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia”. He accused Mr Zelensky wanting to keep the gravy train going.

Mr Trump claimed the “modestly successful comedian”, had “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.

“The only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle’,” Trump wrote.