Ukraine-Russia war latest: Peace talks still months away as Kyiv responds to Trump-Putin call – UK Times

The US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Europe against treating America like a “sucker” by making it responsible for its defence.

“Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into ‘Uncle Sucker,'” Hegseth told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

He said that Europe should be primarily responsible for defence on the European continent and added later: “Europe has to spend more.”

When asked if he could be give a guarantee that Europe would be included in the negotiations and Ukraine would be able to reject a bad deal, US Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “The president will lead negotiations alongside the secretary of state and the national security advisor.

“We’ve played our role in talking to our Nato allies in what that would look like.”

He added that president Trump spoke to both Zelensky and Putin on Wednesday and said: “Any negotiations had will be had with both.”

When asked what leverage Ukraine will be left with US Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “I think it’s a cheap political point to say we’ve left all the negotiation cards off the table by recognising some realities on the ground.”

He added that Zelensky, Putin and Trump all “understood the realities on the ground”.

US Secretary Pete Hegseth is holding a press conference currently.

He said called for Nato allies to increase defence spending and said the US is seeking a diplomatic, peaceful end to the Ukraine war in a manner than creates enduring peace.

Peace talks to end the war in Ukraine could still be months away, the Kremlin has said, after Volodymyr Zelensky vowed he would not accept an agreement without Ukraine’s input.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday preparations for a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump could take months, but that both sides agreed the Saudi capital Riyadh was a suitable location.

He also said that while Ukraine would participate “one way or another” in conversations to end the war, there would be a separate US-Russian track to the talks.

The Kremlin has said Ukraine will participate in peace talks “one way or another”, Reuters reports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said but there would be a separate US-Russian track to the talks, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Another agency, Interfax, quoted Peskov as saying that preparation for a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump could take up to several months, but both sides agreed the Saudi capital Riyadh was a suitable location.

It comes after president Zelensky said he would reject any peace deal made without Ukraine’s input.

Kyiv is yet to respond to the Kremlin’s comments.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth signaled a dramatic shift in American military policy towards Europe during a speech in Brussels on Wednesday.

“We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine,” Mr Hegseth said. “But we must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”

This marks a stark turn from the previous Joe Biden administration’s support for Ukraine to eject Russian forces from its land completely. The hardline stance under the Trump regime has already faced backlash, with accusations that the US is “betraying” Ukraine.

See where the 2014 borders were mapped and read the full story here:

The Kremlin has said that Putin and Trump may speak again over the phone before they meet in person.

Russia’s state news agency, the RIA, cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as not ruling out such a possibility.

It comes after the US and Russian president spoke for over an hour on Wednesday, the first known direct contact between the two posts since Putin had a call with Joe Biden shortly before ordering tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that Ukraine is “at the heart” of any negotiations to end the conflict with Russia.

The prime minister’s remarks come after Donald Trump spoke to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky about beginning peace talks “immediately”.

The development has prompted fears in Kyiv and its European allies that the US might strike a peace deal without involving them.

“We must make sure that Ukraine is at the heart of this. There can’t be any negotiations without Ukraine being at the heart of it,” Starmer told reporters in London.

Starmer has been walking a diplomatic tightrope as he attempts to avoid Trump imposing tariffs on Britain while also pursuing a reset in relations with the European Union, but on the question of Ukraine he said it was vital that the country had a strong position in any talks.

“It’s really important that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position, whether that’s in discussions or whether it’s continued fighting,” Starmer said.