David Cameron rejects Trump’s peace plan as he warns against ‘appeasing’ Putin
David Cameron has rejected a reported plan by Donald Trump to negotiate Ukrainian territory with Russia in order to end the war, warning against “appeasing” Vladimir Putin.
The foreign secretary, who was on the last day of a trip to the United States to push for more support for Kyiv, said it was vital to show “strength” rather than weakness in order to resolve the conflict.
Mr Trump, who hopes to become president again in November, is reportedly prepared to pressure Ukraine to give up Crimea and the Donbas border region to Russia in order to secure a peace agreement. The Donbas contains the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the suggestion as “primitive”.
Asked how Britain would feel about a peace settlement that would cede some Ukrainian territory to Putin, Lord Cameron told CNN: “Everyone wants to see an end to the killing and an end to the war… but you only get that by backing Ukraine, by showing strength. Peace comes through strength, not through appeasement and weakness.”
His comments came as:
Asked about Mr Trump’s plan, which was first reported by the Washington Post, Lord Cameron added: “I don’t think we should be discussing those things right now; we should be discussing how do we get Ukraine back on the front foot.
“They’ve showed incredible bravery. They’ve showed that they can win against Putin, they’re not going to lose for lack of morale, they’re not going to lose for lack of ingenuity on the battlefield.
“The only way they can lose is if we don’t give them the support they deserve.”
Similar language has previously provoked the ire of senior Republicans. Earlier this year, he warned Congress not to show “the weakness displayed against Hitler” in the 1930s.
Lord Cameron has held a series of high profile meetings during his US visit to try and unlock a $60 million military aid package which is currently being blocked in the US Congress.
But he appears to have been snubbed by a key Trump ally, House speaker Mike Johnson, as he met US politicians to urge them to support Ukraine’s war effort.
He has also been forced to defend his face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which came after he previously called him “xenophobic, [and] misogynistic”, insisting the meeting did not break protocol.
In a message to Republicans, the ex-prime minister said funding for Ukraine would be good for US jobs and security and show the West was prepared to stand up to “bullies”.
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