BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Trump shifts peacekeeping duties to UK and EU, Putin and Zelensky to meet up... but Russian attacks continue

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN US Editor and ASHLEY COWBURN

JUST a day after suggesting US troops could be in Ukraine as part of any peace deal, Donald Trump yesterday shifted responsibility for that to Britain and Europe.

The US President said military personnel from the UK will be on the ground to help stop a repeat of Russia's invasion after a string of broken agreements by cynical Vladimir Putin over the years.

He also warned war-weary Ukraine could not be part of Nato but insisted it would receive allied protection.

It came as the White House last night claimed Putin has agreed to meet Volodymyr Zelensky for talks as they are the only people who can bring the war to an end.

But Mr Trump had earlier said of the Russian president: “It's possible he doesn't want to make a deal.”

He spoke as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron chaired a virtual meeting of more than 30 leaders from the Coalition of the Willing.

TIRED

It was to update partners on talks held with Mr Trump and Ukraine's President Zelensky on Monday at the White House. As that meeting wrapped up, Moscow's forces continued their attacks on Ukraine, despite President Putin having been given the red carpet treatment in Washington, DC on Friday.

In an interview with Fox News yesterday, Mr Trump said: "[Ukraine] are not going to be a part of Nato but we've got the European nations, so they'll front-load it and they'll have, some of them, France and Germany, a couple of them, the UK, they are going to have boots on the ground.