Exclusive:
President Donald Trump looks hellbent on turning his back on Ukraine and Europe, but is still keeping the UK and France on side – with Sir Keir Starmer set to touch down in Washington on Thursday for talks on Ukraine
Donald Trump is a “wounded and angry old man” and must be charmed to stop him “throwing Ukraine to the wolves”, an expert has said.
Sir Keir is just days away from crossing the Atlantic to meet with the US president as he makes Europe’s case for backing war-ravaged Ukraine in what will be a defining moment for his premiership. Trump has all but turned his back on Kyiv, refusing to provide military assistance without the US getting something back in return.
Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky have been engaged in a bitter war of words, but for now the UK, and France, still seem to be on side. While he said Sir Keir was a “very nice guy” and President Emmanuel Macron his “friend”, he also accused the two European nuclear powers of failing to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The “stakes could not be higher” for Ukraine and the rest of the world, and Sir Keir will need to pull out all the stops when he touches down in Washington DC on Thursday. Leading global affairs expert Professor Anthony Glees explained that while many would wish Starmer would “give Trump hell”, a far gentler approach is required – one which fluffs the ego of the “wounded and angry old man”.
Prof Glees told the Mirror: “Sir Keir will also need huge emotional intelligence; he’s dealing with a wounded and angry old man, someone who knows the clock is ticking, that he cannot live for ever. Like any OAP, Trump wants to be respected, not ignored or labeled an old fool.
“European voters may want nothing better than for Starmer (and Macron before him) to go to Washington and give Trump hell. That would be the direct road to Armageddon. No, Starmer must charm Trump and look to a golden future for the Atlantic Alliance.”
The professor warned that should the meeting implode, it could have devastating ramifications and bring Russia closer to British shores. He said: “If Thursday’s meeting implodes it will pull down the curtain on a security relationship that has lasted for 75 years, kept Europe safe from Russian aggression during the Cold War but also turned what had been an isolationist ‘America First’ USA, into a superpower, the ally of free peoples throughout the world.”
“This has made the relationship between the USA and the UK special and has led, until Trump’s arrival in the Oval Office, to a security and intelligence partnership unlike no other.”
“If Thursday ends in disaster the future of Europe and indeed of the free world will darken; Ukraine will be thrown to the wolves and the sovereignty of the post-1997 NATO members will be sliced away, bit by bit, bringing Putin’s Russia ever closer to our own island shores”, he added.
“The stakes could not be higher, it’s as simple as that.”
