So it turns out he wasn’t bluffing after all. Six weeks after taking office, Donald Trump has made two big decisions overnight: pausing all American aid to Kyiv and imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canada. Both will cause consternation in Whitehall – but it is the situation in Ukraine which is of most immediate concern. Less than 24 hours after Keir Starmer unveiled his ‘four-point plan’ in parliament, it already risks falling apart.
Speaking in the Commons, the Prime Minister said yesterday that the West must keep military aid flowing to Ukraine. Asked by Stephen Flynn about the prospect of a pause in contributions, Starmer replied ‘As I understand it, that is not its position.’ But hours later, Donald Trump did exactly that. The President also took a dim view of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that a peace deal is still ‘very, very far away’, calling the Ukrainian’s statement the ‘worst’ and declaring ‘America will not put up with this much longer’.
The gap between the UK and US has now become a chasm
Starmer has repeatedly insisted that the West must increase pressure on Moscow with further sanctions.
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