Ukraine 'could partner with Europe' if sidelined from negotiations - as Ben Wallace brands Trump remarks 'pure Disney'
19 February 2025, 10:41 | Updated: 19 February 2025, 11:00
Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace joins Nick Ferrari | Watch again
Former Defence Secretary, Sir Ben Wallace, has told LBC that Ukraine must have a seat at the negotiating table for peace talks to work.
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Speaking with Nick Ferrari on Wednesday, Wallace touched on the idea of Ukraine partnering with Europe and the UK if sidelined from US-led negotiations with Russia, adding: "What does Zelenskyy have to lose?"
Wallace said: "Fundamentally if you want to get a peace deal in Ukraine, you need the people who have skin in the game to make it happen."
President Trump has recently suggested that President Zelenskyy is responsible for the Russian invasion, as he said "you should've never started it, you could've made a deal".
He also claimed that the war could have been "settled very easily" if he were in charge of negotiations with "no people killed and no city demolished".
Russia met with US representatives in Saudi Arabia for peace negotiations this week.
Reacting to Trump's, Wallace said: "I know Mar-a-Lago is quite close to Disneyworld, but that was pure Disney in facts."
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Wallace told LBC that Zelenskyy could easily partner with Europe and the UK for peace negotiations, and bypass the Russia-US talks altogether.
He said that until Russia and Ukraine speak together, negotiations cannot meaningfully move forward.
Wallace also pointed out that Europe has given more funding to Ukraine, in combination, than the United States.
The former defence secretary pointed out that these comments but Trump will 'make the Kremlin very happy', as it blames Ukraine for the dragging peace negotiations.
Trump has suggested that Ukrainians should elect a new leader if they want lasting peace.
Wallace told Nick: 'Winston Churchill didn't have an election for six years because we were fighting the second world war. It didn't make us undemocratic. We were fighting for our survival.
"No doubt the constitution of Ukraine will be upheld and they'll have an election as soon as possible."
He noted that Ukraine is a small and ill-equipped force compared to the Russians, but Zelenskyy's army have managed to defend themselves.
Wallace said that the UK must push defence up the agenda.
He maintained that, fundamentally, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is doing the right thing.
Starmer is preparing to meet with Trump, and said he was prepared to put British troops into Ukraine if needed.
Wallace said that the 'roadmap' Starmer has set out to a 2.5% GDP defence budget is not enough.
He said: "We have not got a good enough armed forces at the moment."
Wallace "fears for the integrity of NATO" if we do not properly equip ourselves to defend Europe.
He added: "We need to put our money where our mouth is."
Defending Trump, Wallace said that we must not take the US's contributions to NATO for granted.
He added that the US may be cautious working with European nations as they are not "properly equipped, armed and funded".
Wallace said that Starmer's Washington visit gives the UK the opportunity to be firm with the US.
He said that Starmer has yet to challenge the US president on matters regarding Ukraine, Greenland potential annexation (as we are Denmark's close ally) and incoming tariffs.
Wallace said: "We should focus on Britain's national interest."
