Transcript of Trump renews attack on Zelensky and demands deal to end Ukraine war | BBC News

In his first public appearance in the White House since his heated row with President Zelensky, Donald Trump has said he does not want to see the war in Ukraine going on for years and years and that Mr. Zelensky should be more appreciative of Washington's support. But President Trump sidestepped questions from reporters about suspending U.S. military aid to Ukraine. He earlier took to social media to criticize President Zelenskyy for saying that an end to the war was still a long way off. In Westminster this afternoon, Sir Keir Starmer outlined a plan to stop the fighting in Ukraine. Two MPs. More on that in a moment. But first, here's Sarah Smith in Washington.

Donald Trump returned to Washington last night after a weekend of frantic transatlantic diplomacy during which he had kept uncharacteristically quiet, saying nothing about Ukraine, since he'd thrown President Zelenskyy out of the White House. Today, he looked far more relaxed, announcing a large investment in semiconductor manufacturing, but couldn't avoid questions about Ukraine. Like what does he need to see from Mr. Zelensky to restart talks?

Well, I just think he should be more appreciative because this country has stuck with them through thick and thin. I want to see it end fast. I don't want to see this go on for years and years. Now, President Zelensky supposedly made a statement today in ap. I'm not a big fan of ap, so maybe it was an incorrect statement, but he said he thinks the war is going to go on for a long time and he better not be right about that. That's all I'm saying. You're in no position to dictate.

After last week's Oval Office showdown, Donald Trump has decided the Ukrainian leader is not ready to make peace. But America's in a hurry and prepared to steamroll her over anyone who appears to be standing in the way.

Well, I tell you what, I think it takes two to tango. And you're going to have make a deal with Russia and you're going to have to make a deal with Ukraine. You're going to have to have the assent and you're going to have to have the consent from the European nations, because I think that's important and from us. I think everybody has to get into a room, so to speak, and we have to make a deal. And the deal can be made very fast. It should not be that hard a deal to make. It could be made very fast. Now, maybe somebody doesn't want to make a deal. And if somebody doesn't want to make a deal. I think that person won't be around very long. That person will not be listened to very long.

UK efforts to coordinate a European response along with Mr. Zelensky, might have infuriated the American president, but appear to have been welcomed.

Four prime ministers and five presidents called me over the last two days and they want to work it out, they want to get it worked out.

Mr. Zelensky had already posted on social media. It's very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible, he said. We are working together with America and our European partners and very much hope on US support on the path to peace. As the Ukrainian president was ejected from the White House on Friday, he might have left behind not just diplomatic support, but even ongoing American military aid. Donald Trump has not cut him off yet, but it could be a real possibility if relations don't improve soon. Now, Donald Trump could today have ruled out the idea of cutting off military aid to Ukraine. He dodged questions from reporters about that instead of ruling it out completely. And also today, he and some of his most senior aides have been talking about that deal that was supposed to be signed here on Friday, the deal that gives the US access to many of the critical mineral deposits in Ukraine. And they've been making it clear that deal needs to be signed very soon if relations between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump are to be salvaged. Maybe even so soon that Donald Trump could announce it in a major speech that he is due to deliver to Congress tomorrow night.

Sarah, thank you. Sarah Smith reporting there. Well, here, the Prime Minister has told MPs that President Trump's commitment to peace is sincere. Zakir Starmer said that Britain would play a leading role alongside other countries from Europe and beyond in a coalition of the willing. Here's Chris Mason.

What a week. On Thursday, a theatrical special delivery in the White House.

Can I present a letter from the.

Thank you very much. Am I supposed to read it right now?

Yeah, please do.

By Friday, you're gambling with World War Three.

On Saturday, it was this. Here's what Sunday lunchtime looked like.

Europe must do the heavy listing and.

By Sunday tea time, the King's in the mix again. I call the Prime Minister from the international stage to the domestic and the gravity of the Prime Minister's commitment to deploy British soldiers to Ukraine as peacekeepers if the war ends.

No aspect of my role weighs more heavily than the deployment of British troops in the service of defense and security in Europe. In this House, we stand by Ukraine.

Because it's the right thing to do. But we also stand by them because.

It'S in our interest to do so.

At times like these, it is so important that we stand together to defend.

Shared values and the fundamental basic principle that aggressors should not win. We've entered a new era, one where the United States prefers to align itself with tyrants like Putin rather than its democratic partners.

What stood out today was the breadth of support for the Prime Minister from unusual places. There are many issues on which the Prime Minister and I will passionately disagree. But when it comes to the security of Ukraine and support for President Zelensky, we are, of course, united.

Whilst I often take great delight in.

Criticism of the Government, I think this.

Weekend he has not really put a foot wrong.

But he does need to go further.

In other words, spend more still on defense and do so sooner rather than later. Nigel Farage asked about America having people in Ukraine mining minerals after a ceasefire.

Is that of itself enough of a.

Security guarantee.

Or does it mean that.

We need to send British troops?

The mineral deal is not enough on.

Its own, the Prime Minister thinks British peacekeepers and others would be needed as well as American support. Keir Starmer met people working in defense today. How much we have, how much we spend on it, where it is deployed, questions we will return to again and again. Chris Mason, BBC News at Westminster.

So what will the United States do next? If America were to withdraw its support, how big a hole would it leave? Ukraine does produce some of its own weaponry, but it relies heavily on US and European support. Here's BBC Verify's Nick Erdley.

What would a reduction in US support look like? And could Europe step in to fill funding and equipment gaps? Let's look at spending. First of all, the US is the biggest individual spender by some margin. This shows all military aid going into Ukraine in red, the United States in blue, every other country combined. That is a huge amount of cash for Europe and other countries to find. Very roughly, to keep the same level of spending without the us, every other country would have to double its military support. It's a big ask when there are so many pressures on public spending. For the UK, that's about £2.8 billion extra every year. Then there's equipment. This is a Himars rocket launcher. The US has provided 39 of these to Ukraine. According to the Kiel Institute think tank, European countries combined have provided 43 similar systems. There are these long range ATACMS missiles provided by Washington. There are European alternatives, like the British storm shadows but ATACMs have been important for Ukraine's army. And then there's ammunition. A huge volume of artillery has been used in this conflict. The US has sent more than four and a half million rounds.

The EU previously missed its timetable for sending just one million. Production in Europe has increased. The EU has promised two million rounds in 2025. But some experts have questioned whether that pledge can be met. Now, this is some of the quantifiable support. Remember, some of it isn't like intelligence assistance. And the debate around support for Ukraine raises other questions about U.S. support for NATO. This was what Elon Musk said over the weekend, that he thinks it's time for the USA to leave the alliance. And that would have a huge financial impact. Here we can see NATO member defense spending in red, the United States in blue, every other country combined. If the USA reduced or even ended its funding, the impact would be colossal, even as European countries pledged to increase their defense spending.

Nick Hurdley there. Well, in a moment I'll be speaking to Chris Mason, who's with me in the studio. But first to James Waterhouse, who is in Kyiv for us. And James. Ukraine and the US both want peace, but they each have a very different definition of what that looks like.

That's right, Rita. You have Donald Trump wanting a quick piece, something he said before reentering office. He wants a mineral deal signed by Ukraine so he can announce a big commercial partnership with the country. But Volodymyr Zelensky, he wants what he calls still a just peace. He wants to know that America would be there just in case. Now, you know, he is pointing and Ukrainians do, they talk about this all the time. They point to recent history. In 1994, Ukraine signed a deal where it agreed to give up its nuclear arsenal, a deal involving America and Russia, in exchange for its territory being recognized. It was invaded by Russia in 2014. What followed that year were a series of ceasefires, failed ceasefires brokered by Western allies between Russia and Ukraine for the fighting to stop. Those ceasefires were broken and Russia built for its full scale invasion in 2022. People here do not want another agreement to go that way. But given the pressure that President Zelensky is coming under from his own European allies like Poland to engage with America to bring Donald Trump back. It may not be his choice in the long run if it means restoring security of some kind in Europe in the face of an aggressive Russia.

James in Kyiv, thank you. And Chris Mason. We heard Donald Trump sounding more emollient towards Europe this evening. But the situation remains very volatile.

Volatile, fluid. Donald Trump unpredictable to friend and foe. The Prime Minister said today that America was indispensable. And as he was saying it, the President was tapping out those words on social media about Ukraine and about Europe. Quite a moment today for Keir Starmer, I thought, commanding the Commons praise from every conceivable direction. These moments, though, can be fleeting. And he was trying to make a case today that his response to this international picture ties together with his domestic political objectives. So he's talking about national security and economic security being indivisible, that boosting defense spending, for instance, helps, as he describes it, working people, for instance, in the defense sector in Belfast making missiles. Then there are these wider negotiations, as James was talking about. Can the UK and France, alongside Ukraine and others, come up with a proposal that they can agree on, that can then be put to Donald Trump, that he might agree on, that could then be put to Vladimir Putin that he might agree on? Not easy. And that's to get to a ceasefire, let alone the next stage, which is sustainable peace. So there's a long way still to go indeed.

Thank you very much, Chris Mason. There.