By JAMES TAPSFIELD, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE

Published: 08:26 GMT, 13 February 2025 | Updated: 08:26 GMT, 13 February 2025

John Healey warned against negotiations ‘about Ukraine without Ukraine’ today after Donald Trump’s bombshell call to Vladimir Putin.

At a meeting of Nato ministers in Brussels, the Defence Secretary stressed the need for Kyiv’s voice to be heard following the US president’s dramatic shift in position.

Mr Trump and the Russian dictator had ‘a lengthy and highly productive’ phone conversation, during which they agreed that talks to end the conflict should start ‘immediately’.

But any peace deal is expected to include Russia keeping territory it has annexed since 2014, including the Crimean peninsula – a huge blow to Kyiv after three years of fighting for freedom. Ukraine joining Nato – an official policy of the alliance – has also been effectively ruled out. 

Meanwhile, Mr Trump is demanding that European Nato powers commit to spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence – a level the US itself does not reach. The UK is one of the biggest spenders but has yet to set out a timetable to hit 2.5 per cent. 

Mr Healey said: ‘We’ve seen the calls from President Trump overnight and we all want to see a durable peace and no return to conflict and aggression – and let’s not forget, Russia remains a threat well beyond Ukraine.

At a meeting of Nato ministers in Brussels, Defence Secretary John Healey stressed the need for Kyiv’s voice to be heard following the US president’s dramatic shift in position

Mr Trump and the Russian dictator had 'a lengthy and highly productive' phone conversation, during which they agreed that talks to end the conflict should start 'immediately'

Mr Trump and the Russian dictator had ‘a lengthy and highly productive’ phone conversation, during which they agreed that talks to end the conflict should start ‘immediately’

Any peace deal is expected to include Russia (Putin pictured this week) keeping territory it has annexed since 2014, including the Crimean peninsula

Any peace deal is expected to include Russia (Putin pictured this week) keeping territory it has annexed since 2014, including the Crimean peninsula

‘So my message in these discussions will be that there can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine and Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks.

‘Ukrainians are fighting bravely. It’s our jobs. It’s our job as defence ministers here at Nato, to put them in the best position to secure a lasting peace through strength.’

The US has suggested that as part of a peace deal Ukraine must accept it will have to give up some territory to Russia and Nato membership is not a realistic prospect.

Nato’s official position – endorsed by Keir Starmer’s Government in the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership – is that Kyiv is on an ‘irreversible’ path to joining the alliance.

Downing Street has long declared that Russia should not be rewarded for its illegal invasion by being permitted to retain territories it has taken – a move UK officials fear could persuade Putin to use force again in the future.

Mr Trump’s announcement, including that he expects to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia, came hours after a series of stunning policy U-turns from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Speaking at a summit in Brussels, Mr Hegseth left senior military figures ashen-faced as he shattered Nato unity over Ukraine. 

The former Fox News presenter dismissed Ukraine’s aspiration to recover its captured territory as ‘illusionary’.

Mr Trump spoke to president Zelensky after his conversation with Putin

Mr Trump spoke to president Zelensky after his conversation with Putin 

Mr Trump's announcement, including that he expects to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia , came hours after a series of stunning policy U-turns from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

Mr Trump’s announcement, including that he expects to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia , came hours after a series of stunning policy U-turns from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

He also ruled out the country joining the coalition, a long-held hope of Kyiv.

Instead, Ukraine will receive security guarantees. But, Mr Hegseth said, the US will not be part of any Nato peacekeeping force there, leaving it to Britain and others to defend the country.

The policy reversals on Ukraine were seen as positioning the US closer to the Kremlin than its Western allies. The Kremlin jibed that Nato had ‘written off’ Kyiv.

Mr Trump told reporters: ‘We want to end that war – that war is a disaster.’

He predicted a ceasefire in the ‘not too distant future’, adding that Ukraine was unlikely to get all of its land back and it was not ‘practical’ for it to join Nato.

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UK Defence Secretary John Healey warns ‘there can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine’ after Trump’s bombshell call to Putin

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