Trump says Starmer and Macron 'haven't done anything' to end Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump has said that French President Emmanuel Macron and UK PM Keir Starmer "haven't done anything" to end the war in Ukraine, ahead of visits from both leaders to the White House next week.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump also said that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has "no cards" in peace negotiations, adding: "I don't think he's very important to be in meetings."

Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg struck a different tone earlier and said he had "extensive and positive" discussions with Zelensky during their meeting on Thursday.

Kellogg went on to praise Zelensky as a "courageous leader" only days after Trump referred to him as a "dictator".

Zelensky has held phone calls with various global leaders in recent days, who have expressed their commitment to ensuring Ukraine is involved in peace talks.

Earlier this week, Starmer said he is "ready and willing" to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a peace deal.

While European leaders have ruled out negotiating with Russia, they have met regularly to discuss the war in Ukraine - including at an emergency summit in Paris on Monday.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US, UK and EU, along with countries including Australia, Canada and Japan, have imposed more than 20,000 sanctions on Russia.

Many European nations have also signed agreements to support and provide aid to Ukraine. In January, Starmer signed a "landmark" 100-year pact, telling Zelensky: "We are with you not just today, for this year or the next - but for 100 years - long after this terrible war is over and Ukraine is free and thriving once again."

Trump, in his Fox interview on Friday, said Russia and Ukraine would not want to begin peace talks without his own personal involvement.

He also continued to criticise Zelensky, saying: "I've been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated.

"I've been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it," he continued. "You just get sick of it, and I've had it."

Despite his criticism of Macron and Starmer, Trump also praised the European leaders. He said he considers Macron to be a "friend", and called Starmer "a very nice guy".

Macron is expected to visit Washington DC on Monday, while Starmer is expected to arrive on Friday.

And after criticising Zelensky over the past week - using talking points that analysts say sound more like they originate in Moscow than Washington DC - Trump offered that "of course" he would take a phone call from Ukraine's president.

He insisted several times that Zelensky is to blame to failing to prevent war, saying that Russia could have been "talked out" of invading Ukraine.

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Asked about Ukraine's absence at peace talks in Saudi Arabia this week, Trump said that Russia "found it impossible to make a deal with Zelensky".

He said he believes that Russia sincerely wants a deal to end the war, but that Russian President Vladimir Putin "doesn't have to make a deal".

US Vice-President JD Vance later hit back at critics who said that Trump's stance on Russia amounts to "appeasement".

"We are negotiating to end the conflict. It is 'appeasement' only if you think the Ukrainians have a credible pathway to victory. They don't, so it's not," he said in a post on X.

The US is pressing Ukraine to sign a deal that would give the US rights to Ukraine's deposits of rare earth minerals, as part of talks to end the war.

Trump has styled this as a way for Ukraine to repay the US for its past military support.

Ukraine has put forward changes to the US-proposed deal, with talks progressing, according to reports.

White House Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on Friday that Zelensky "is going to sign that deal", despite the Ukrainian president previously rejecting the proposal.