There can be no negotiation “about Ukraine without Ukraine”, the UK’s defence secretary has warned.
John Healey was speaking ahead of a NATO meeting of defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday, after US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed to begin negotiations to end the war.
Healey told reporters: “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.”
But he added that Russia “remains a threat well beyond Ukraine”.
He told reporters that “my message… Will be that there can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine and Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks”.
It is becoming harder for NATO to keep a united front on Ukraine, with Trump’s unilateral efforts to bring an end to the war.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he and the Russian president had “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately”.
He did not set a date for a face-to-face meeting with Putin, but later told reporters at the White House: “We’ll meet in Saudi Arabia.” He wrote on social media the pair had also invited each other to their respective capitals.
The head of the Alliance, Mark Rutte, is still trying to hold the line – saying that allies must step up their military support for Kyiv and that Ukraine must be involved in any peace talks.
But in reality Washington is now making the calls. That one phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin, due to be followed up by a meeting, has pushed NATO to the sidelines.
Some defence ministers are trying to convey the message that nothing has fundamentally changed and Healey has again repeated the familiar lines that Nato would remain focused on keeping Ukraine in the fight and “put them in the best position to secure a lasting peace through strength.”
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On Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said European nations must provide the “overwhelming” share of funding for Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting on Thursday, Hegseth said the US’s attempts to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia was “certainly not a betrayal” of the Ukrainian soldiers who have been fighting against the invasion.
Addressing fellow defence chiefs later, he added that the US was “committed to expediting the process” of foreign military sales, to ensure “our allies get what they need when they need it”.
Healey said the UK had “heard a clear message from the US about stepping up and we are”, pointing out a new £150m package of military aid including drones, tanks and air defence systems for Ukraine.
“The Ukrainians are fighting bravely,” said Healey. “Its our jobs as defence ministers here at Nato to put them in the best position to secure a lasting peace through strength.”
