Putin would allow Euro peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of deal, Trump claims

DONALD Trump believes Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a deal to end Russia's war.

- By Martyn Brown

The US president made the comments to reporters at a start of a meeting at the White House with French president Emmanuel Macron on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Trump said: "Yeah, he will accept it. I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he's not looking for world war."

It comes after news that Britain has blitzed the Kremlin with punishing new sanctions to force despot Putin "to make concessions" in a Ukrainian peace pact.

Yesterday Mr Trump was asked whether he believes Ukraine will have to give up territory as part of any peace negotiations.

He said: "We're gonna see. It's a negotiation that's just starting."

Taking back Ukrainian land occupied by Russia, he added, is "not an easy thing to do".

Mr Trump has suggested Ukraine could get back "some" of its territory but last week he said that Russia's occupation of Ukrainian land means it "has the cards" in negotiations.

The president said: "The war could end soon, within weeks, if we're smart. If we're not smart it will keep going, we don't want that. Remember what I said, this could escalate into a third world war, we don't want that either."

Asked if he will characterise Russian president Vladimir Putin as a "dictator" having used the word to describe Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Trump said: "I don't use those words lightly, we'll see how it all works out."