Donald Trump's Ukraine deal with Putin has 'stench of appeasement'
By Express-Jonathan Walker - Thu, Feb 13, 2025
US President Donald Trump accused of making the same mistake as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain who failed to avoid World War II
Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine by allowing Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to keep captured territory has “the stench of appeasement”, a former Defence Secretary has warned.
Sir Ben Wallace compared the proposed deal, negotiated without Ukraine’s involvement, to failed attempts by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to avoid war with Nazi Germany with the 1938 Munich Agreement.
As world leaders prepared to gather for the Munich Security Conference this weekend, he said: “This year’s gathering seems set to mirror the disastrous conference of 1938 where the continent stood blind in the face of Hitler’s duplicity. The stench of appeasement is once again returning to Munich.”
The warning was echoed by Tory former defence minister and ex-army captain Tobias Ellwood. He said: “Once again, in this city, a peace deal is being stitched together by ceding terrain to an aggressor in the hope of avoiding a wider conflict. The strategy of “Peace in Our Time,” as Chamberlain famously claimed in 1938, has no better chance of success today.”
A long-planned meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels yesterday was overshadowed by Mr Trump’s shock announcement that he and Mr Putin have agreed to end three years of bloodshed in Ukraine following a “lengthy and highly productive” discussion. The US President called Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky “to inform him of the conversation”.
Mr Trump plans to continue talks with Mr Putin at a face-to-face meeting in Saudi Arabia but it provoked an immediate split with European leaders including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who insisted that must be included in peace talks rather than having a deal imposed on it.
Sir Keir said: “There can’t be negotiations around Ukraine without Ukraine being at the heart of it.”
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine and Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks.”
Zelensky erupts after Trump and Putin's call over Ukraine peace: 'I don't accept it'
By Express- James Knuckey17:59, Thu, Feb 13, 2025
Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will refuse any deal made without Kyiv taking part in the talks, warning "it's important that everything does not go according to Putin's plan".
Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine won't accept any agreements made without Kyiv (Image: Getty)
Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not accept a deal to end the Ukraine-Russia war without Kyiv’s involvement.
Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, with the US President saying he and the Russian leader agreed it was time to “start negotiations immediately” to end the conflict.
They will discuss the US' continued push to end the war which started almost three years ago following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Zelensky told reporters: “We cannot accept, as an independent country, any agreements made without us.
“Today it's important that everything does not go according to Putin's plan, in which he wants to do everything to make his negotiations bilateral [with the US].”
He said meetings between Ukraine and America are a priority, saying: “Only after such meetings, after a plan to stop Putin has been worked out, I think it is fair to talk to the Russians.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Ukraine will “of course” take part in the negotiations “one way or another”, according to state news agency TASS.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte insisted Ukraine will be involved in any peace talks, stressing the alliance is united over ensuring Kyiv is “in the best possible position”.
His comments were reiterated by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said Ukraine “must be at the heart” of any talks.
Speaking at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, new US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said any brokered peace deal will include elements neither Ukraine nor Russia wants.
On Wednesday, he said NATO membership for Ukraine - something Zelensky has long pressed for - is unrealistic and also suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia.