Trump brushes off ‘Zelensky is a dictator' comment

Telegraph

27-02-2025

There is no expectation from the UK that Article 5 of Nato, dubbed 'an attack on one is an attack on all', would apply for the peacekeepers.
That means, in effect, that should Russia fire on British or French troops in Ukraine, it would not trigger a Nato-wide response, as it would if it took place in a Nato member country.
In the Q&A with reporters, Mr Trump raised the question of how much land Ukraine could recover in any peace deal and insisted that he would 'try and get as much as we can back'. However, he said that Ukraine would not be allowed to join Nato. He said: 'I could be very nice and say, 'Oh, well, we'll work toward it'. Look, it's not going to happen. It's just not going to happen.'
The US president also claimed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could be trusted.
Addressing the prospect of a ceasefire, he said he had 'confidence' that a peace deal would 'hold' and that Putin could be trusted to 'keep his word' as the presence of US workers – sent over as part of a minerals deal with Ukraine – would deter Russia from 'playing around'.
'I've known him for a long time now and... I don't believe he's going to violate his word,' he said. 'When we make a deal, I think the deal is going to hold now.'
Asked if Putin would be at risk of invading Ukraine again in the event of a peace deal, Mr Trump said: 'No. I don't think so. I think when we have a deal, it's going to be the deal.
'If I didn't win the election I don't think we'd be even talking to Putin right now or anybody else.'
'If we make a deal, it's going to hold'
Asked why he appeared to trust Putin when the British Prime Minister did not, he said: 'I know a lot of people that you would say 'no chance that they would ever deceive you', and they are the worst people in the world.
'I know others that you would guarantee they would deceive you, and you know what, they're 100 per cent honourable, so you never know what you're getting. No, I have confidence that if we make a deal, it's going to hold.'
Mr Trump said he was able to 'get along with both' Mr Zelensky and Putin, saying: 'I have a very good relationship with President Putin. I think I have a very good relationship with President Zelensky.'
Sir Keir praised the US president's role in the crisis, saying: 'I don't think it would have happened if the space hadn't been created by yourself.
'But if there's a deal in, we've got to make sure it's a deal that lasts, that is not temporary, that lasts, and that's why we need to make sure that it's secure.
'And we've leant in and said we'll play our part, and we've talked and we will talk about how we work with yourself, Mr President, to ensure that this deal is something which is not violated because it's very important, if there is a deal, we keep it.'
In a later press conference, Mr Trump said that American taxpayers would be reimbursed for 'hundreds of billions of dollars' poured into Ukraine to 'help Ukraine defend itself'.
'If you want peace, you have to talk both sides'
Addressing his negotiating tactics, which excluded Ukraine, Mr Trump said his approach was 'based on common sense' which involved engaging 'both sides'.
He continued to express hope that a peace deal with Russia would ensure that such a conflict would never break out in Europe 'anywhere again' and the US was working towards a 'very achievable ceasefire'.
The US president said: 'If you want peace, you have to talk both sides, as I discussed with Prime Minister Starmer. The next step we are making is toward a very achievable ceasefire.
'We hope that that can happen quickly, because thousands of young people – in this case we're not talking about Americans, we're talking about Ukrainians and Russians – are being killed every week, thousands, and it's a rough battlefield. It's a flat piece of land and the bullet only stops when it hits somebody.'
He added: 'This will lay the groundwork for a long-term peace agreement that will return stability to eastern Europe, and hopefully ensure that such a terrible war will never happen on European soil, or for that matter, anywhere again.'
There was 'an urgent need to catch up' for some countries when it came to defence spending, Mr Trump added.
Mr Trump also praised Mr Zelensky as 'very brave' and said he got along with him 'really well', in a signal he was prepared to backtrack after calling the Ukrainian president a dictator.
Asked if he would apologise to Mr Zelensky for the remark, Mr Trump said: 'I think we're going to have a very good meeting tomorrow morning. We're going to get along really well.
'I have a lot of respect for him.'
He added: 'We've given him a lot of equipment and a lot of money, but they have fought very bravely, no matter how you figure they have really fought. Somebody has to use that equipment and they have been very brave in that sense.'
Sir Keir, meanwhile, revealed he would be 'hosting 18 countries' in the UK on Sunday as they meet about defence and security.
Tariffs
Mr Trump opened the door to Britain being spared tariffs.
Asked if there would be no sanctions on the UK, Mr Trump said: 'We'll have to take a look.
'We're going to have a good discussion today, and we have some very talented people working… we're going to have a good discussion.'
Sir Keir then said: 'And our trade, obviously, is fair and balanced and, in fact, you've got a bit of surplus.
'So, we're in a different position there – and obviously we contributed hugely in relation to Ukraine.'
Mr Trump said: 'It's going to work out.'
In a later press conference, he said he expected the UK would be exempted from his tariffs.
He also said that the two countries would end up with a 'very good' trade agreement that would be finalised quickly.
Asked if Sir Keir tried to persuade him not to impose tariffs on the UK, Mr Trump quipped: 'He tried', adding that the Prime Minister had 'earned whatever they pay him'.
'He was working very hard at lunch,' Mr Trump continued.
'I think we could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn't be necessary.
'In all seriousness, I think we have a very good chance at arriving on a deal that could be terrific, really terrific.'
Sir Keir said the trade deal would be centred on technology.
Speaking of the two countries' shared hopes for artificial intelligence, the Prime Minister said: 'Instead of over-regulating these new technologies, we're seizing the opportunities that they offer.'
He added: 'We've decided today to go further to begin work on a new economic deal with advanced technology at its core.
'Look, our two nations together shaped the great technological innovations of the last century. We have a chance now to do the same for the 21st century.
'I mean, artificial intelligence could cure cancer. That could be a moonshot for our age, and that's how we'll keep delivering for our people.'
European Union
Mr Trump suggested tariffs on the EU were inbound in contrast to his approach towards Britain.
'The EU was very tough on us from the standpoint of trade,' he said.
Mr Trump said he stood by his pledge to impose reciprocal tariffs on other nations, and said his additional 10 per cent tariffs on China would raise them to 20 per cent.
He also said he believed Brexit was the right thing for Britain at the time.
Free speech
The Prime Minister said Britain had a long tradition of free speech in response to comments by JD Vance, the US vice-president at the Munich Security Conference last week.
Mr Vance claimed that free speech was 'in retreat' in the UK and Europe and that the rights of religious people in Britain were being undermined.
Asked about his remarks, Mr Trump said: 'Look, I said what I said, which is that we do have, of course, a special relationship with our friends in the UK, and also some of our European allies, but we also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British – of course what the British do in their own country is up to them – but also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens, so that is something that we'll talk about today at lunch.'
Sir Keir responded: 'Well, we've had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom and it will last for a very, very long time.
'Certainly, we wouldn't want to reach across US citizens, and we don't, and that's absolutely right, but in relation to free speech in the UK I'm very proud of our history there.'
Germany
Mr Trump said he was not disappointed that the hard-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) did not win the German federal election on Sunday.
He had celebrated the victory of centre-Right candidate Fredreich Merz after the poll, saying it represented a victory for common sense.
Mr Trump was asked: 'Are you both disappointed that the AfD didn't come first in the German elections, given your previous support for them?
He replied: 'No, whatever happens with Germany look, the relationship has been very strong with Germany, but we'll have to see what happens.
'They have a lot of things going on right now. We'll have to see. No, I'm not disappointed about anything, if anything, you would say that the group that we would be most opposed to lost. But we got along with them also, we have a very good relationship with all groups in Germany.'
Tate brothers
Mr Trump said he did not know anything about influencer Andrew Tate and his brother arriving in the US.
Asked if his administration pressured the Romanian government to release them, he said: 'I know nothing about that. I don't know, you're saying he's on a plane right now?
'I just know nothing about it. We'll check it out. We'll let you know.'
Sir Keir said: 'There's an English element here, so obviously it's important justice is done, and human trafficking is obviously, to my mind, a security risk. And so we'll catch up with the story.'