Trump's treatment of Zelensky 'wrong', says Sunak

Donald Trump's attraction of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was "wrong", erstwhile premier curate Rishi Sunak has said.

The US president's disapproval of Zelensky, culminating successful an explosive Oval Office gathering alongside JD Vance past week, was "very hard to watch," Sunak said.

The erstwhile PM was speaking to the BBC's Political Thinking with Nick Robinson earlier the US announced it was pausing subject assistance to Ukraine, successful his archetypal large interrogation since his 2024 predetermination defeat.

Since coming to office, Trump has repeatedly criticised Zelensky.

Trump has called him a "dictator without elections", claimed helium was doing a "terrible job" and falsely suggested helium was the 1 who started the warfare with Russia.

Trump - who has agelong called for European members of the Nato subject confederation to walk much connected defence - is besides attempting to chopped a accelerated woody to bring the Ukraine warfare to an extremity aft speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Last week, a White House gathering connected a mineral woody - seen arsenic cardinal to continuing US enactment of Ukraine - erupted into argument. Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance, accused Zelensky of not being grateful enough.

The aggravated speech meant the deal, that would springiness the US entree to Ukraine's deposits of uncommon world minerals, was near unsigned.

Sunak said it was "very hard to watch".

"For him to person been treated that mode was wrong," helium added.

Speaking to the BBC, Sunak emphasised his adjacent narration with Zelensky - having visited Kyiv during his clip arsenic premier minister.

Sunak stressed helium agreed with Trump that Europe needed to instrumentality much work for its ain defence and not trust solely connected the US.

"We can't expect America to carnivore immoderate load for our information if we are not prepared to marque those sacrifices ourselves," helium said.

"What has happened implicit the past fewer weeks has been clarifying, and we person conscionable had to beryllium unfastened and honorable astir that now."

Pressed connected whether the UK needs to hole for the US to propulsion retired of subject enactment for Europe, Sunak said: "Of people we request to hole to support ourselves.

"That is the archetypal occupation of immoderate British premier minister.

"We are surviving successful a caller satellite that each of america are going to person to set to - and that was the lawsuit adjacent earlier the US election."

As premier minster, Sunak committed the authorities to summation defence spending to 2.5% by 2030.

The plans were accelerated by Labour, who past week set retired plans to deed the people by 2027 - funded done a chopped to Overseas Development Aid.

Trump announced helium was pausing US subject assistance to Ukraine connected Monday night.

Weapons and subject instrumentality not already successful Ukraine volition beryllium stopped from reaching its equipped forces. The destiny of $3.9bn (£3bn) successful remaining backing committed by the Biden medication remains unclear.

The frost emerged aft Trump had launched a caller onslaught connected Zelensky, claiming that helium "doesn't privation determination to beryllium bid arsenic agelong arsenic helium has America's backing", adding that the US "will not enactment up with it for overmuch longer".

Then successful a connection connected Tuesday, Zelensky said helium was consenting to enactment nether Trump's "strong" leadership, saying: "Ukraine is acceptable to travel to the negotiating array arsenic soon arsenic imaginable to bring lasting bid closer."

A summit of mostly European leaders successful London connected Sunday agreed a four-point program to warrant Ukraine's defence successful the lawsuit of a bid woody with Russia.

The acme - hosted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer - was intended arsenic a amusement of enactment for Ukraine and an effort to trim differences betwixt Western countries implicit Ukraine.

The UK and France said they were moving connected a European-led solution to the conflict.