Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has publicly criticised the White House’s stance on Ukraine, dismissing several claims as “genuine fake news.”

This is something I never thought I’d be writing.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Wallace challenged assertions from Washington, particularly regarding the scale of European military assistance to Ukraine and allegations of mismanagement of Western aid.

Wallace directly countered the claim that the United States has provided “more than double” the aid given by Europe. He stated:

“In fact, Europe has given more,” calling the assertion from the White House misleading.

He also dismissed allegations that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had lost track of aid donations, suggesting that much of the money remains within donor nations, spent on replenishing their own stocks rather than directly reaching Ukraine.

“A large proportion of aid has actually been spent by donor nations on their own replacements of gifted kit,” Wallace wrote, adding that the US has allocated $100 billion in aid but spent at least $25 billion on its own military replenishment.

Condemning Kremlin talking points

Wallace rebuked claims that Ukraine was responsible for the war, calling this narrative “straight out of the Kremlin talking points.”

“Russia invaded in 2014 and 2022,” he reminded followers, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s long-standing ambitions toward Ukraine.

In his final remarks, Wallace appeared to criticise US President Donald Trump, who recently met with European leaders to discuss Ukraine.

“I think what President Trump is learning is that if you have no skin in the game, you don’t get to decide the fate of Ukraine,” Wallace stated, adding that their four-hour talks were likely a waste of time. Wallace, who served as UK Defence Secretary from 2019 to 2023, was one of Kyiv’s most vocal Western supporters during his tenure. His latest intervention signals growing transatlantic tensions over Ukraine policy, as NATO allies push the US to maintain its support for Kyiv.

Speaking to reporters, Zelensky accused Russia of lying during Tuesday’s “notorious meeting” in the Saudi capital, saying “With all due respect to President Donald Trump as a leader… he is living in this disinformation space,” he said.

As reported by others, he added that Ukraine had “evidence” that Russia was spreading disinformation about his approval rating, and “these numbers are being discussed between America and Russia”.

The bigger picture

Wallace’s public criticism of the White House marks an extraordinary break from the usual diplomatic tone adopted by senior UK defence figures. While former ministers often share their perspectives after leaving office, it is rare for a former Defence Secretary to directly challenge claims made by a key ally, particularly the United States. Wallace’s accusations that the White House is spreading “fake news” about Ukraine aid represent an unusually blunt intervention in transatlantic relations.

His remarks come at a moment of growing tension between Washington and Kyiv, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s inflammatory statements accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of manipulating the U.S. into supporting a war that “never had to start.”

Trump went as far as calling Zelenskyy a “dictator” and suggesting that Ukraine could be forced into an unwanted peace deal.

This shift in rhetoric, combined with reports of secretive U.S.-Russia negotiations excluding Ukraine, has alarmed European allies and raised concerns that Washington is preparing to scale back its support for Kyiv.

Wallace’s intervention reflects the deep frustration within parts of the UK defence establishment over how the conflict is being portrayed in Washington. His decision to publicly contradict Trump’s claims about European military aid signals broader concerns that the White House is undermining NATO unity.

With transatlantic divisions widening and Ukraine increasingly isolated in diplomatic talks, Wallace’s remarks highlight the growing fears in London and across Europe that the U.S. may be preparing to step away from its commitments—leaving Ukraine to negotiate with Russia on far weaker terms.

At the UK Defence Journal, we aim to deliver accurate and timely news on defence matters. We rely on the support of readers like you to maintain our independence and high-quality journalism. Please consider making a one-off donation to help us continue our work. Click here to donate. Thank you for your support!

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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183 COMMENTS

  1. George, take it you have seen all the reactions, on twitter etc as well!
    He really has lost the plot…
    Its disgusting some of the stuff he’s been saying
    The fact-checking speaking for itself

    • Don’t worry, as Ben Wallace has said if you have no skin in the game you don’t get to decide. Ukraine is doing all the fighting Europe is sending most of the money and weapons.

      This is like when Trump said he would create peace in Korea, he had a silly conference in Singapore with Kim Jong Un and nothing came of it. Exact same will happen here. Putin will try and over play a weak hand and Trump has no hand.

      The real decision makers are Paris, London and Berlin. If we are prepared to go all in then that’s all that is required. I believe London and Paris are, Berlin is the real question.

      • Merz is favourite and has signalled he’d we willing to go further than Scholz in supporting Ukraine. How much further that is remains to be seen, but Zelensky must be keeping everything crossed.

      • The latest exchange mean that France will probably send all mirages to Ukraine and go for full Rafale in the next 5 years. About 70 mirages are still in service, 50 air to ground, 20 air to air. Given the latest trends and the backlog of Eurofighter, new platform for Ukraine will be needed, even your old ones, being replaced by new ones. For tanks, i guess Léopard 3 or Korean tanks would do. For IFV’s, sweedish machines look good, UK machines are on the rise. For troup mobility, in France we have what is needed. For guns, production seems ok, with French, Polish, Sweedish and German systems. For ground to air, this topic has been discussed again and again. We have most of what we need in Europe, albait in limited numbers. We should increase quantities. For drones, we should increase self reliance.
        I don’t see where USA is absolutely needed. Have we forgoten how to win wars? Europeans love war, we do it all the time! Imagine what it can bring, for once, we are not fighting each other, but a common foe…

        • – “Europeans love war”
          Careful, I don’t think we want that to get out 🤣 We’re supposed to be effete and decadent, remember!

  2. Trump’s comments are completely bonkers. First calling Zelensky a dictator with 4% support in Ukraine (when it is 52%). And then saying that Ukraine started the war. I wonder about NATO’s long term health.

    • Now rumours of US cuts to their defence budget and pulling troops out of baltic area’s etc

      Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered senior leaders at the Pentagon and throughout #USA’s military to develop plans for cutting 8% from the defence budget in each of the next five years

      Its goodbye from the US…
      How could Europe trust that russian appeaser

      • Hi John, As I posted below: Perhaps it is time for European NATO members to front foot the NATO issue with Trump. If the USA wants out , that’s fine. Reform NATO under urgency as a Euro banner and call it something else. That will negate the Russian demand for the Ukraine not joining NATO – this being rather a “Euro-TO” alliance.

        On the pius side – this is likely to be the catalyst to force Europe getting on with rearmament and expansion of their collective military.

        • That sounds a very good idea. And we can not invite the Hungarians and Slovaks whilst we’re at it, seeing as they’re Putin worshipers too. And maybe Turkey can decide who’s side they’re on as well.

          • Yes, I’m always surprised that Hungary and Slovakia haven’t been suspended by NATO and/or the EU for their antics. Cuckoos in the nest.

          • I know a certain Slovak Defence Attache who most certainly is not a Putin appeaser… just saying and then I know several more Slovaks who like me, are just waiting for the oldies to die off so they can restore democracy to their Country, unfortunately, they won’t be able to hang mini Meciar – aka Fico – but they would like the opportunity.

            Hungary? I can’t speak for them and yet, the Bulgarians are very pro-Kremlin – that is worrying.

      • I suspect planned massive cuts to the US defence budget is the real motivation behind everything Trump is doing. His only consideration is massive tax cuts and he can only get those by either gutting social security or the defence budget.

        The defence budget is just easier to cut. Even if he cuts it in half it will still be the biggest in the world. In his mind if he gets Europe to double its defence spending then the US can free ride on NATO security paid for by Europe.

          • Rubbish, the Uk just spent 60-70 billion dollars and deployed 150,000 personnel, suffered 10,000 casualties all to support a U.S. war.

            During the Cold War the UK spent 5.5% of its GDP and the Cold War was not just a European war it was a global war..the U.S. had to fight.

          • Free ride? What the actual fuck are you on about. Over the last 30 years Europe has had precisely zero threats, but has been almost constantly at war BECAUSE THEY WHERE BACKING UP A US WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

    • I’d heard 57% support for Zelensky in Ukraine.

      I’d bet after the utter lies from the Orange Daughterfucker, Zelensky’s approval rating only goes higher.

      Fuck Trump. He’s just Putin’s little bitch.

      • Here here, just hoping Europe can grow a pair and tell him where to go.

        I’m happy to pay alot more income tax for that to happen.

        • Yes, an income tax rise, and indeed rises in other taxes, is the way to go. We’re certainly not going to be able to fund it from yet more cuts as theres’s naff all left to cut!

    • TM, there are 2 dictators involved – Trump and Putin! As for NATO, it is not certain that Trump will either leave the Organisation or the unified military command structure. If he does there is no reason why NATO could not continue, albeit with fewer teeth.

  3. Quoting Liz Cheney- from an hour ago

    Trump – with his devotion to Putin, abandonment of Ukraine, and lies about history- is the antithesis of everything Ronald Reagan stood for. He is aligning America with the enemies of the very freedom that generations have fought and died to defend. History will not be kind to those who are helping him, especially those who call themselves Reagan Republicans while they pretend not to see what’s happening.

      • Speak out against the worshipped “Great leader” & become an “enemy of the people”. America can forget freedom of thought & speech. Funny how Trump doesn’t call Putin a dictator & vote rigger etc.

    • European NATO members should front foot the NATO issue with Trump. If the USA wants out , that’s fine. Reform NATO under urgency as a Euro banner and call it something else. That will negate the Russian demand for the Ukraine not joining NATO – this being rather a “Euro-TO” alliance

        • Please don’t, Canada might be fighting the USA one day soon. We need to promptly get our military house in order and not with american arms.

          • If Trump does go for Canada he’d probably end up going for Greenland anyway.
            If you give crazies like Trump, Putin and Hitler an inch it just emboldens them to take the whole mile. Much better to just keep them completely contained: perhaps we should think about Mexican, as well as Canadian, membership.

          • I have to say I would be a wee bit concerned with the way the US has gone if I was Canada…last week I would not have seen the end of the U.S. led western hegemony..but that appears to have collapsed in a week..god knows what would happen next week..but I would most definitely think that at best I had a neutral power next door…

    • I think it would be best for western security now if the US left NATO, it could potentially stay in the political structure like France under De Gaulle and leave the command structure. As long as the US is embedded in our main security architecture we won’t be safe and it will give the Germans reason not to step up.

  5. We know what Putin gets from Trump’s support but we don’t know what Trump get’s from Putin.

    I suspect it is the photographs back.

  6. Despite his many faults, I had a soft spot for Trump & cheered his war on woke, but I think he is very, very wrong on Ukraine. I thought talk that Putin had “compromat” on Trump was left wing propaganda, but in the last couple of days, I am wondering if that is true. Trump was naive on the Taliban & let Biden take the blame for the fiasco Trump started. Now history is repeating in his bungled handling of the Ukraine conflict.

    • Sorting out wokeness in a civilized way…fair enough
      Even on local american issues like vaccines and medicine!

      Trump has gone in with a wrecking ball, with his boss Elon and DOGE
      Trumps been trying bully Zelensky into surrender! and spewing allsorts of false stuff out

      Not left wing propaganda at all…everyone, from every political view is raging against trump

      • It would serve Trump right, if Putin invaded Alaska. After all, it was once Russian, so under Putin’s warped version of history, that makes it Russian forever, & anyone who says otherwise is a “Nazi”.

        • Well it’s interesting because Trump is determined to make Russia great again….the thing is Russia is now firmly aligned to china and it’s very likely in the next 2-5 years china will go to war with the US ( especially now Trump has effectively destroyed the European US alliance) and the moment china hits the US hard in the western pacific it’s going to bet is little mate Russia to to the same.

          • Some of Trumps actions now might be an effort to pull the Russians closer to the US sphere of influence and away from China to avoid just that situation. Doesn’t mean it’s the right think to do in terms of NATO or Ukraine but, it might just be what he’s trying to do.

          • In reality Russia is the enemy of the U.S., it will fall in with china if it sees the chance of destroying US power..also Russia knows which side its bread is buttered it only has a land border with one superpower and that is the power it’s going to support.

            As for trying to gain Russia favour..it has around 2% of the worlds wealth and industrial capacity vs Europes 23%…it’s a bonkers geostrategic move..

    • I don’t think Trump really gives a shit about ‘woke’ one way or the other, he’s just an opportunist, one of life’s hyenas. I don’t think we even need to invoke kompromat to explain Trump’s relationship with Putin, I think he just sees a fellow hyena. Game recognizes game.

    • What kompromat could anyone have on Trump that’s worse than what we already know? If Putin could prove in a court of law that Trump was the Antichrist with horns and a tail, it wouldn’t make the slightest difference to the MAGA followers. If they don’t like something it’s a plot or fake news or whatever.

      • It could be cash. The Trump empire was in danger of going bankrupt until Russian oligarchs pumped a load of money in. Perhaps they threatened to pull it out?

          • Musk seems to be getting X ready for sale. He won’t get more than his money back. Tesla is under pressure from cheap Chinese EVs. SpaceX is impressive but needs a lot of investment cash to keep going.

        • He is a known sex offender with a history of making dubious comments about very young girls. I bet he was snared with some young Russian girl on a business trip.

  7. Trump is either a moron or a Russian agent. As for the Reform supporters who love him, all gone quiet now. Barely a month into this car crash of a Presidential term, who knows what this lunatic will do next.

    • Im quite sure i saw Farage say Ukraine must now join NATO

      Nearly fell out of my chair….

      Still a few reformerd trying to raise their voices but yep gone very quiet!👀

    • No, the Reform pillocks and other Kremlin shills have been out on the comment boards here these last few days, doubling down on their bootlicking.

    • Car crash? He has a higher approval rating than Biden ever did in 4 years.

      The US population is tired of protecting an ungrateful Europe. The last thing they want is to be dragged into a war with Russia over some Eastern European farmlands. Europe can fight that fight.

      • And we are now tired of ungrateful Americans, time for the US to fight its wars on its own. Because you may or may not be aware the UK spent 60-70 billion dollars fighting US wars.. deploying around 150,000 service personal to Afghanistan and 140,000 to Iraq..we suffered 10,000 casualties and 800 dead..supporting the U.S. in its war on terror…so quite frankly go fight you own wars and when china decides it’s time to decimate US forces in the pacific the US can fight a peer superpower without those ungrateful Europeans…and guess what Russia is a pacific power as well and it’s an ally of china, it will go hand in hand with its ally china…..the U.S. had one massive deterrent over china and that was Europe would always have supported it and that was 23% of the worlds wealth and power behind the US 30%…now you will face china and it’s allies without that…and they have close to 30% of the worlds wealth and power…even if you win you will loss, Trump has so screwed over the US, anyone with a bit of geopolitical and geostrategic understanding knows he’s screwed the US as much as Europe..but we only have to worry about Russia and Russia has only a tenth of the power and wealth of Europe…china is your peer and you will now face them with only what pacific allies you can retain after this cluster fuck of the collapse of western hegemony.

        • I couldn’t have worded that better. Us ungrateful Europeans who lost oppos fighting American led wars. We live in interesting times.

      • I don’t think his approval rating after a month means diddly squat. Let’s see what it is in a couple of years when the cuts to the federal government and the promised tariffs start to bite. That’s if he hasn’t choked to death on a cheeseburger by then…

      • Again, Europe followed America into the Middle East and packed them to the hilt. Fucking American free loaders, happy to take European lives and treasure in their sandbox wars and then cry because in return they have to station a brigade in Poland.

  8. Then there Johnson saying facts aren’t important and don’t take Trump seriously, easy to see who is trying to win some brownie points and get a job in is cabinet or hotel.

  9. The US will pull its troops out of the Baltic states to appease Russia. I would not surprised if Trump pulls the US out of NATO. Europe is on its own.

    • Personally, I believe European NATO members should front foot the NATO issue with Trump. If the USA wants out , that’s fine. Reform NATO under urgency as a Euro banner and call it something else. That will negate the Russian demand for the Ukraine not joining NATO – this being rather a “Euro-TO” alliance

  10. Both the US and Russia are finding the war in Ukraine economically ruinous. Both Russia and the US are concerned to maintain their dominance as the 2 world super powers in the face of China’s rise. Ukraine is a barrier to both US and Russian ambitions in a new world order. Zelensky has stood up for Ukraine territorial integrity and declined to entertain compromise and mediation. In light of all this it looks like Trump and Putin have conspired to get rid of him and carve up Ukraine between them. Both Starmer and Macron are in Washington next week. France and the UK are the European nuclear powers, the largest military powers in Europe and members of the UN security council. Seems to me this is all about containing China. Ukraine is the sacrificial victim to maintain the status quo. They will need friends.

    • The insanity of the US position is that Russia is now essentially a very close ally of china and any strengthening of Russia simply strengthens the Russia china block…it’s insanity, if there is a Sino US war, Russia will plow right in alongside china, they are allies. At the same time the US has essentially completely alienated Europe, which is 23% of the world’s wealth and industrial capacity. Blowing a hole in NATO and meaning the US is going to end up fighting china with only a handful of pacific allies and if it fights china it will fight Russia and it will be fighting North Korea…It will loss that war as it has no political will left to fight a long peer war that will eat 30% of its GDP.

      What is sadly ironic is that china is to far from Europe for it to be a true strategy threat our only threat is Russia and Russia cannot overcome Europe…so in reality if Europe sits back, becomes neutral to china the only nation that will truly suffer ( apart from poor Ukraine) is the U.S. and the Pacific democracies.

    • Yes, Russia and the USa liked a bi polar world when it was just them, now it’s multi polar. Europe may have to do a deal with China to check Russia. The US is likely to do a deal with China soon as well. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will also be sold down the river.

      Trump wants rid of the US military, he has never liked it since he dodged the draft, he is on record as saying all soldiers are suckers.

      • The only thing I will disagree with is china wants the US out of the western pacific and the US will not leave..so there is little chance of china and the US not going to war..it’s even more likely now because china knows if Europe is neutral it’s got a very good chnance of beating the US in a Western pacific war….what stopped china was that is was not sure it could win against both Europe and the U.S…it was a 50/50 toss now..all bets are off.

        • What about all the Western and European investments, technology and industry in China and vice versa? Doesn’t China equally need the West for its markets for its industry, employment, exports, foreign currencies and political relationships and influences? I’m not sure anybody can remain wholly neutral over the loss of any of that? Mad hatter as Trump is if China tries doing a “Ukraine” on Taiwan the bell will ring. We’ll need to see who provokes who on that one. Meanwhile down here in our neighbourhood we have three Chinese warships roaming around a little way off Sydney. Like to see the Australian and NZ navies bulked up a bit sooner than later.

    • I’m not sure why the US should be finding the war ‘economically ruinous’. Their economy has been on the up since Biden, and from what I understand a lot of the money (someone here will know the figures) is being spent at home anyway, employing American workers and renewing their own stocks. But you’re right about it looking increasingly like a stitch-up.

    • “Both the US and Russia are finding the war in Ukraine economically ruinous.”

      We’re actually bearing the cost fairly well. It is Russia that is actually being ruined finanncially.

  11. I have a slightly different perspective. I will reserve judgement until we see what a peace deal might look like. At this juncture, we don’t know what we don’t know. Perhaps the sacrificial lamb will be Russia retaining the Crimea, affording Putin some face saving . The the deal breaker foe me must be the Ukraine maintaining their borders prior to the Russian invasion. Be interesting to see if there are reparations paid by Russia to the Ukraine. A Russian peace guarantee is meaningless, particularly when the Russians pledged peace back in the 90s- in return for the Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons, .

    Personally. I believe European NATO members should front foot the NATO issue with Trump. If the USA wants out , that’s fine. Reform NATO under urgency as a Euro banner and call it something else. That will negate the Russian demand for the Ukraine not joining NATO – this being rather a “Euro-TO” alliance . I can’t see the Russians being over enthusiastic at the prospect of War with the rest of Europe.

    • The big issue Konkie is the pacific and that’s what Trump does not understand, Russian is a second rate power it’s economic and industrial capacity in no greater ( less so in some cases) that any of the larger 4 European nations, Russia can never really do anything other than nibble at the sides of Europe in those small states with ethic Russian populations he can use to undermine.

      In the end Europe just needs to do a bit of jigging and spend a wee bit more and it will be safe from Russia…

      China is not a second rate power, it’s the second superpower and it could beat the US in the western pacific, especially if it has a Russia at its side and the U.S. no longer has European at its back.

        • To be honest if I was a democratic nation living in the western pacific I would be thinking what the hell do I do now…I don’t see easy paths.

          Trust the US as leader and piss off china, or go for neutrality with china and trust is word that its expansionism does not go beyond the 9 dash line….

          Difficult and very hard to navigate.

          • Well China might implode. The excess debt. The companies closing owing to lack of business/cash. The “flu” outbreak that is killing many & may be cover for something else. Their population figures being way higher than reality. Same for GDP.

          • @John Hartley They’re certainly shaping for some serious demographic problems as their population ages. Going to make ours look positively soluble by comparison.

  12. Unfortunately, and I’ve been saying it for a long time, Trump is a Russian stooge, always has been and is demonstrably unfit for any office. Everything he has done since inauguration has been to benefit Russia, even the dumbest MAGA must be able to see how they’ve been manipulated and conned. His rambling, incoherent speeches are so riddled with lies and and fantasy that he either has dementia or is terrified of the Kompromat that Putin has on him. America, once great, is in irreversible decline.

    • Even if the MAGAts can see it, they’ll never admit it. No-one likes being shown up as a dupe, and they will just double down on it, like Brexit all over again. Like the latter, MAGA has more in common with a cult than a conventional political movement (thats cult with an ‘L’!), a cult of personality even, and it can’t be denied that Trump (like Farage) has a dark sort of charisma. In some ways that gives me hope for the future: who can replace him when he leaves office or (hopefully) croaks? Vance is patently weird, Trump’s kids are thick and weird, and most of the Trump cabinet are nobodies. Who else but Trump could hold together the disparate electoral coalition that voted him in this time? It’s the old story with dictators: their succession planning is shit because they never tolerate any other tall daisies. Fingers crossed, anyway, but it’ll certainly be too late for Ukraine.

      • It will also be to late for the Euro Atlantic alliance and I suspect china is now definitely going to take a chunk out of the US western pacific forces unless trump retreats back to the eastern pacific.

  13. Pressure on Starmer to increase defence spending definitely is rising, Denmark has announced they will be going up to 3% pf gdp over the next 2 years.

      • I think we are going to see a domino affect, a lot of the smaller nations will increase there defence spending then one of the big three (UK,France,Germany) will increase it to 2.5 or 2.75 which will then force all the others to.

        I also think Reeves and Starmer will choose there words carefully so they can stay within there financially rules. Day to day defence spending like wahes will come from tax but buying new equipment will be classed as an investment not day to day spending so they can borrow the money.

  14. Why on earth are we renting F35s from these guys. And should we maybe approach the French for a collaboration to maintain a Trident alternative?

    • I hope we cut all ties with the US. No more F-35s and we damn well better manufacture a replacement for Trident D5 for the Dreadnaughts. This will not end in 4 years. Trumpism could well continue for many many years.

      • Yes, but the F-35 is top banana, and the Yanks will still take our money for them, I’m sure. In any case, they’re about 15% UK components, so it’s not all money out of the country

    • And definitely club together with the French for our next SLBM, even if it means fiddling with the Dreadnought design I’m sure we don’t want to be reliant on whoever follows the Donald for our deterrent for the next half-century.

      • Agree we need a fully independent deterrent, the US could in a deal with Russia pull the plug on the maintenance contract for trident… the only way we can get that is with a 50/50 shared program with the French.

    • Wouldn’t surprise me if Starmer gives him an honour and seat in the Lords to try and win over some of the centre right votes who refuse to vote reform and don’t like the current Tories. I can see Wallace becoming a cross bencher especially in regards to defence matters.

  16. It pains me to say the following as I have been a great supporter of the yanks all my adult life, I am 65, Trump is out of control. The Americans do not yet realise the damage he is doing to their reputation and worse the realisation by nato allies, Japan, Korea and Australia that the word of America is worth dog crap. They want to completely pivot to the Pacific, but will their Pacific allies feel confident in that the USA will have their back? I do not think so, there will be anxious conversations going on behind closed government doors i am sure. What a disaster for the reputation of the Americans.

    • I share your reaction. Trump seems utterly unhinged. Far from making America great again, he will do serious damage, both to his country’s reputation, and to peace and stability around the world. His promised tariff war may damage the US economy as the tariffs imposed after the wall street crash did.
      He is making himself look ever more ridiculous on a daily basis with his disregard of facts and his apparent ignorance of history. One has to hope that the checks and balances in the US constitution can limit the damage.

      • I’m not sure the US Constitution is any longer ‘fit for purpose’, as the saying goes. When a Supreme Court that he largely appointed can declare that the President is no longer subject to the law, and a supine Congress is unwilling to rein him in, then the system is broken beyond repair. Charles I ended up ten inches shorter to establish the principle that not even kings are above the law, but the Americans seem determined to try and put history in reverse. Its an odd repudiation of their constitutional heritage, which they’re usually so happy to wang on about. Maybe Congress Republicans will get bolder as the midterms approach and they have to field constant whinges from angry constituents, but I wouldn’t bet on it, and it’ll be too late for the poor Ukrainians in any case.

          • I never suggested my opinions mattered! But I have the right to hold them and to air them in a public forum. It’s called freedom of speech, old chap. You’re the one daft enough to be wasting your time on a UK-focused forum. Whatever did you expect?

          • I expect constructive discussion on equipment, training, procurement, force structure, deployment strategy and logistics. Not uneducated lectures about the Constitution from Labour Party voters.
            Free speech? You don’t have that see your offensive speech laws the UK and the rest of Europe are so fond of.
            I come here to read news about British and European defense. As the state of Spanish defense journalism is woeful and as it is the only other European language I speak and read here I am.

          • Canada burnt down the White House in 1812 when our southern neighbours tried to invade…we will do it again….not quite sure how right now 🙂

          • We burned the White House in the war of 1812, you absolute melt. You know, the one you started for no good reason and then got your arses handed to you on a plate, which almost drove parts of New England back into British allegiance due to ruinous US govt policies, and which set you back economically by about 25 years. That one.

          • Think you’ll find the Britain and it’s allies won that particular war, and the US-French alliance ended up on its arse.
            It’s why Canada didn’t end up being part of America, they kicked your faces in.

          • Yeah but the boy had taste, especially when it came to art. Mostly now in the Louvre and the Vatican, I think.

    • The good news is that despite the crowing of his supporters on this site and others I believe the US will return to it’s senses in time.

      In 2016 when Hilary Clinton beat him in the popular vote it was 32% her, 31% him, 37 % no thanks to either. He got in on the historical oddities of the US constitution.

      In 2024 it was 33% him, 32% Harris with 35% saying no thinks to either.

      So since Hilary spanked him on the ballot box one person has come off the fence to vote Rub., one person has done so to vote Dem., ONE PERSON IN A HUNDRED HAS SWITCH DEM. TO RUB.!

      It is the nature of binary systems to exaggerate small movements in public opinion.

  17. Trump’s words are more bizarre than Catch-22 and dangerous in reality, not in fiction. I really hope that responsible politicians and senior figures in America stand up to be counted. Trump’s world view and that of the fictional Milo Minderbinder are too close for comfort.

  18. I just hope the fuckwits in Whitehall smell the shit that is US and start ordering British kit. 50-100 Typhoons and scrap F-35 orders. realistically the 48 on order will be enough for the carriers the way/location we are likely to use. Typhoon with Voyager can strike targets within the area’s we are interested. Would rather buy European kit than US now

    • I think it’s a given the UK will be increasing defence spending. Germany and France are the big question now. The EU just found €98 billion down the back of the COVID couch it wants to spend on military equipment. Just shows how powerful and rich Europe is that it has unspent budgets of that size.

      • I think when one of the big three (UK, France, Germany) get up to 2.5% or even 2.75% the other two will follow especially in today’s climate.

        Denmark have already announced they are going to 3% over the next 2 years and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more smaller european nations doing the same thing over the coming weeks.

  19. Sadly more and more I think it’s clear that the US may have actually fallen. Trump it is now very clear is a fascist and has surrounded himself with fascists and is becoming friendly with Putin, because Putin is the ultimate modern Fascist leader.

    A fascist is “a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterised by a dictatorial leader, centralised autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy”. That sums up the Trump administration.

    Essentially Europe needs to accept that the world is moving and Europe is now the only major bastion of western Liberal democracy and it better be able to defend itself on its own and only look to its own interests and sup with the devil and make good relations with any and every other power it can, but knowing that relationship will only ever been an exchange where the other side is Trying to gain something.

    Trade with the US, be friendly, but I think it’s a time for almost complete security separation. The UK and Europe has to accept this and the rest of the western world in the western pacific area needs to be taking note and start playing well with china, because Europe will need to be neutral in the pacific and the U.S. as a fascist nationalist state will dump you faster than you can say “ what happened to NATO”.

    This will take some big calls for different nations

    1) Europe, will need its own verson of NATO
    2) Germany will need to accept its got to re arm, get its head out its arse in regards to Russia and also become a nuclear power
    3) The UK will need to realign its nuclear deterrent and work with France focus on the five eyes and move away from its pacific pivot, and make up with china, as well as re arm. AUKUS may be dead.
    4) France, will need to co-operation with with the UK on a European deterrent..and rearm
    5) Italy will need to become a nuclear power and rearm
    6) poland will need to become a nuclear power
    7) all the smaller nations will need massive investment in military.

    The UK will need to come to terms that there will almost now inevitably be a European superstate ( Europe will need to form one to compete and survive) and we need to be very very close allies with it, but knowing it will be an unbalanced relationship.

    • I think you’re right about AUKUS. Or any other security/defence arrangements including the US. Trump or Musk are likely to hand over operational details and secrets to their Russian friends .
      Putin might have failed to take Ukraine, but we failed to notice that he was quietly taking over a bigger prize: The US government.

    • Wouldn’t the first unbalanced relationship we have been in…! However, I don’t think the EU will have the political bandwidth to form a European superstate the politicians will be scrambling to convince their populations of the need to rearm, although that might not be such a difficult job as I think Trump will do that for them… Putting together a Euro-TO + C will be a big enough challenge anyway especially as Germany and France have weakened governments at the moment!

      What is happening now is a 9.9 on the Richter scale of political earthquakes. As you say we will need to rebuild the NATO Alliance from the wreckage if Trump doesn’t slow down. It is rapidly moving from Europe paying its share to the US potentially walking away from NATO. Even if they don’t walk away from NATO as many have already asked are they a reliable ally now?

      Reindustrialisation on a grand scale will be needed across Europe if we are to rearm quickly enough and effectively enough to stand off a rearmed Russia with CRINK nations support behind it (including potentially contingents of troops from North Korea and possibly China. Iran not so likely). Such reindustrialisation would need to occur even as a new alliance was thrashed out. When does Europe make the independent move? Go too early and we risk triggering Trump’s rage earlier than necessary, go too late and Russia could bite chunks out of an Europe with potentially no defense mechanism in place.

      For the UK Trident and F35 are big risks now, particularly Trident. We need to tread carefully and look to develop contingency plans. We should not forget that the US has a veto on the UK Nuclear reactor tech. as we originally got the designs from the US. Even though the current sub reactors are entirely UK designed the terms of the original deal are that the US can block us using them… True we could ignore any effort in that regard, but…

      Then there is AUKUS..? Someone else has already suggested that is dead and I tend to agree. Trump will not like the structure of that deal. We get too much out of it. So it will be back to Astute replacement SSN (assuming we have reactors). I wonder what Australia is thinking..?

      We are going to need to spend about 5% of GDP on defence, more if the economy stagnates, but such spending will make for quite the stimulus..! Ironic, eh!

      What a mess?

      Cheers CR

    • Agree that the time has come for some clear separation on security from the USA. It will need to be done gently to avoid Trumpian repercussions, but certainly the current F-35b order should be the last major weapons purchase from the USA. We need to switch to European or other allies like Japan and Korea for equipment purchases, ideally on a joint venture basis with a UK manufacturing element.

      The reason why is that the USA under Trump Is heading down a very different road from the.current alliance of Liberal democracies. Russia and Trump have very.similar political philosophies and aims. Might is right and stuff any constraints imposed by international law. Territorierritial expansion by force or co-ercion, whether Ukraine, Greenland, Panama or Canada. The use of repression to eradicate domestic opposition, such as the USA’s current sacking of those in public service who don’t support MAGA, exclusion from White House press conferences of media that doesn’t toe the MAGA line, making presidential decisions that violate the powers of Congress. And so on. Trump shares with Putin a liking for absolute, untrammelled power and will walk over anyone who stands in his way.

      They are natural bedfellows. And the one geo-strategic thing they have in common is the need to keep Europe down. Europe is the world’s second largest economy, with a population 50% larger than the USA and more than three times that of Russia. Were Europe to be united politically and economically and field defence forces in line with its population and wealth, all Russian landgrabbing dreams and US economic hegemony would be dust.

      Hence it is much in their interest to keep Europe down and keep it divided. No surprise that Russian bots and cyber warfare support everything from Scottish nationalism to Brexit to a dozen fissures in Eastern Europe, anything to weaken European unity and resolve. Likewise, we have Vance going off to appear with AFD in Germany, the clown Musk urging Germans to support that right-wing rabble and offering large sums of money to our own far right Reform.

      It is always a fascist thing to hate and target minorities, particularly of different colour, and all these actors have that in common. We have to accept that, while Trump is POTUS, the USA.has gone over to the dark side of the venal authoritarians. It is down to the UK and Europe now to step up to the plate, rearm and become the bastion of Western liberal democracy.

  20. I’m so mad, I also think we should make a huge point with CBG, that if the US is willing to completely sell Europe out to the extent it’s making friends with Russia we can do the very same thing back and not send the Carrier anywhere near china and instead see if we can organise a port visit to china for one of the escorts..as china is one of our biggest trading partners so why not be nice and MAKE A HUGE DEAL AN AMAZING DEAL..EUROPE FIRST and WE CAN MAKE A LOT OF MONEY WITH CHINA, IT WILL BE HUGE..

  21. It has been reported on the BBC, from Ukrainian sources I think, that Trump demanded half of Ukraine’s rare earth metals because Trump said Ukraine owed the US $500billion in payment for US supplies. Zelensky said no!

    Trump does not like to be refused anything. If true, then you can see Trump would go ballistic and really stick it to Ukraine. Madness!

    The UK has two major defence programs dependent on the US; Trident and F35B. If he takes insult from us for some reason those projects could be put in jeopardy… same goes for any other country / ally.

    What on earth is going..?

    CR

  22. Possibly it is time for Europe to rethink defence. So here are some possibilities, the UK gets together with the Commonwealth for a Commonwealth defence pact. Mainland Europe possibly under an EU concept including Norway form a defence pact. The UK with the Commonwealth form a defence pact with the EU. As part of the defence agreements technology exchange, trade, and mineral resources can be done without barriers. It would take time, the Europen part could be done in a few months, the UK, Norway EU could also be done in a few months. It would take a few years for the UK and the Commonwealth or parts thereof to come to an agreement. It would also take a few years for European nations to get their armed forces up to scratch. If they start now then by the time Trump is out of office Europe would be ready for whatever comes next from the US.

    Many years ago I heard a joke. Why did God make the Atlantic Ocean? To keep America from the civilised world. Never has at this moment in time been a truer word spoken in jest.

  23. This is clearly the dawn of the Chinese century and we live in an interesting moment. Nobody is going to help the Americans fight China now, so that saves us some hassle. Furthermore, China now looks like a more advanced, lucrative a stable proposition than what the USA has to offer. The arrogant and spiteful delusions make it an easier pill to swallow. Let’s hope our economies are so entwined that the monetary and financial transitions aren’t too painful.

    • We’d be suicidal idiots to ally with China. China seeks exactly the same authoratarian world order Putin & Trump wants, except with the CCP as top dog. They are the greatest enemies of western freedom. Our over reliance of their manufacturing was more like hacking our legs off than merelt shooting ourselves in the foot & that wasn’t the demand of ordinary folk demanding cheap goods, but the choice of the mega rich seeking to sell ouit western communities so they could maximise profits using Chinese near slave labour for a pittance.
      They’ve been attacking the west daily for decades.

      • No but we essentially now need to because neutral with china, we simply cannot afford to be the enemy of china if the US is to become the friend of Russia and abandon Europe…China is now a U.S. problem..and chinas outlook to be honest has alway been very practical..keep your nose out of the western pacific and our business and we will keep out noises out of yours.

        In reality our alliance with the US and the concept of western hegemony where why we needed to deter china, because any war was going to be our war as well….now it’s simply not the case. What we want to do is show China that neutrality with Europe is to its advantage..what we don’t want now we have been abandoned by the U.S. and the US is trying to be friends with russia is for china to also see us as the enemy..

        • But China is not staying out of Britain. It has its spies in all our top research universities. It cultivates useful idiots. It buys strategic industries the UK is daft enough to sell. Just because you are upset with Trump, is no reason to cosy up with Xi. That is a frying pan & fire scenario.

          • Hi John not cosy up to xi, but move to a neutral stance…there is a great deal of difference, at present we are not neutral. Let’s not fight a fight we don’t need to fight. China is completely obsessed with tiawan, the 9 dash line and the US in the western pacific…if we are not there china will have little or no interest in what we are doing other than as a neutral trade partner…when we were very close to the US it was a fight we needed to fight, now it’s just not worth it..Europe needs to focus only on European geostrategic needs.

          • Yes but the big geopolitical question John is would we really care…if we are not ever getting involved in a pacific war, and I now don’t see why we would..what do we loss from chinas gains ? As long as we gain as well…the US has shown the way..if they are not a direct danger to you go for it..if the U.S. can develop a relationship with Russia we can dam well develop a relationship with china…if Europe does not it will be left behind and Weaker.

            Let’s be really clear we don’t give two shits on the morals of nations we trade with and are friendly neutral with ( look at the Middle Eastern nations etc) what we ultimately care about is are they a direct geostrategic threat to us…last week that also meant were they a geostrategic threat to the US..this we we need to be clear it does not. Essentially our who risk model with china has changed dramatically..

          • The CCP is evil to its core. They only do deals for their own benefit. Too many Westerners have fallen for Chinese promises of mutual wealth, only to discover years later, that only the Chinese gained out of it.

          • Yes but so are most of the Middle Eastern regimes and we work with them..in the end we were happy allies with Saddam Hussain when it suited us..in geopolitics you sup with devil if it suits your aims and forwards your own nations security….yes of course the Chinese will try to get everything they can out of any neural relationship…and we will do exactly the Same, the skill and only really important bit is that you get what your national interest needs…working with china as a neutral before was not really in our national interest…that balance has now potentially changed.

  24. After reading the commentariat here I am merely becoming even more of the belief that not only should America no longer give single defense dollar for the future eurabia we should wash our hands of any sympathies for it.
    The UK and Europe think they know better than the citizens of the United States who our leaders should be and what our foreign policy priorities are. Perhaps you should look to the phrases “physician heal thyself” and “peace at home peace in the world”. Americans only have 4 perhaps 5 priorities – the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Southern and Northern borders, and finally the Canal. Anything else is extracurricular activities.

    • So not a ‘shining city on a hill’ any more, then? Righty-ho. I’m not sure we think we know better than you who your leaders should be, we just can’t quite believe that you’ve chosen the one you have, albeit by a fairly meagre majority. To be fair, this country has chosen some absolute pillocks over the last few years, so anyone can have a rough patch. I have a nagging feeling that your major security concern in the next decade or so might be secession and civil war, but good luck. We’ll never stop being grateful for the sacrifice made by the hundreds of thousands of Americans who lie in European soil. The democracy and freedom they died for will always be and defended and celebrated here.

    • It’s quit amazing how quickly the US has forgotten how much the Uk supported the US on its war on terror..our defence is where it is because we spent 60-70 billion dollars, deployed 150,000 personal to Afghanistan and 140,000 to Iraq, suffered 10,000 casualties and 800 dead..what we are feeling is betrayal of a ally we just finished fighting 20 years of wars to support…what is sad for you is you will be fighting your next war alone and it’s coming for you very very soon and the threat is a peer nation.your nation has geostrategicly shafted itself hugely…china is not coming for us it’s coming for you and Russia is chinas close ally..it’s also a pacific power so when china comes for you so will Russia..and neither will be looking over their shoulders at Europe.

    • The USA retreated into isolation after WW1. That worked out well.
      I do find it sad that US voters had a choice between a clearly senile Democrat, replaced at the last minute by a cackling halfwit, and a malign ignoramus whose first term was a shambles. It is a sad indictment of the US political system that this was the choice it produced.
      For the record, NATO was built on agreements first made in the Atlantic charter and formed part of the Truman doctrine of mutual defence against Soviet threats. This policy has stood for 75 years, though force levels were greatly reduced by all countries after 1989. Nothing in the Treaty required the USA to spend so much on its military. It chose to do so in pursuit of capabilities that were nothing to do with NATO, spending vast amounts trying with limited success to shape the politics of Asia.
      The idea that the USA has been spending a higher percentage of its GDP on defence of the NATO area than other members is a lie. And remember that the only time Article 5 was invoked was by the USA after 9/11 when a handful of mainly Saudi nationals, all with legal visas, carried out a terrorist attack armed with box cutters. NATO members accepted the call and joined the USA in its ill judged occupation of Afghanistan. Trump’s wrecking ball tactics will do nothing to enhance US security.

      • Again as I have said before NATO and UK assistance after 9/11 was in the end a net minus in terms of combat capability due to the obscenely written rules of engagement foisted on us by our allies.
        On a different note. Not nearly so meager a majority as the 30 odd percent of the vote Starmer got.
        Civil war? Secession? The commies on the Left coast are to busy weeping about transition surgeries in Nepal.

        • Yeah, so the ROE was as much American as anyone else, and funny thing…. when you’re fighting an insurgency having a strict ROE so that you don’t start killing civilians and turning the population against you is generally a good thing.

          But facts never sat well with Trumpists.

          • That is ridiculous. Dead people don’t become insurgents. The war was sold to Americans as revenge and justice not turning Afghanistan into a democracy in love with America and the west.
            Anybody in the Army and Marines who had to deal with the convoluted mess that having euros write the roe or deploy without adequate equipment, would tell you the same thing we would have simply done better by either deploying more American units or using B52s to turn the country into sheet of glass.

          • @ Eliot yes the U.S. tried that in Vietnam, you lost there as well, you cannot kill a country unless you’re going to use nuclear weapons. As for nation building that was ALL on the US it was the strategy. The fact you blame the UK for losing the war on terror and refuse to acknowledge the help the US received says everything really.

          • @Elliot yeah thanks for demonstrating you don’t understand how COIN works. But good to know that you’re a Nazi who favours ethnic cleansing apparently.

            Meanwhile in the real world, COIN is a battle of hearts and minds. You win it by getting the locals to buy into your side. Something you don’t achieve by randomly shooting their kid because you don’t feel like having an ROE.

        • I don’t think different ROEs would have made any difference in Afghanistan and Iraq. We won the war but lost the peace. It was always going to be that way, and Britain was just as culpable as the US in not seeing what was going to happen. You just can’t force democracy on people who have never known it. They have to find their way to it and earn it for themselves. That’s why we feel so strongly about Ukraine, because they were under the Russian thumb for centuries, and they’ve been trying to forge a democracy over the last 15 years or so. It’s not perfect and still very raw, and the Russians keep trying to drag them back, but they believe in themselves, and they want to be a free and independent nation, and their courage over last three years shows that they’ve bloody well earned it. For them it’s not just a bit of remote farmland, it’s home. And until recently their struggle was one the United States would have been proud to make their own, and we looked up to you and loved you for that, and took our lead from the greatest nation in the world. Much of the strong feeling on here is because many of us actually feel a sense of bereavement, like at the end of a relationship, and that’s why we seem so indignant, bitter even.
          Regarding Starmer, as I’m sure you know we have a different system here with many more parties, so governments almost only ever win a plurality of votes, and not a majority (not since 1931, IIRC). Nevertheless, the nature of our parliamentary democracy means that Labour hold a large majority in Parliament and can get things done. It’s very different from the US system where administrations are frequently paralysed by their inability to get anything past a hostile Congress. Trump doesn’t have that problem at the moment, but I am sure you are aware that the Republican majority in both Houses is wafer-thin, and may well vanish at the midterms.
          As for communists and transition surgeries, seriously, friend, try watching something other than Fox News. And I don’t mean Breitbart.

          • The UK lost Basra because it decided that using artillery and aircraft to level insurgent areas might hurt people. Well, surprise that’s what it’s meant to do.
            Again Americans were told revenge, kill the enemy, and go home. Not start a democracy amongst those culturally unsuited to it. That only became the goal once the NGOs and defense contractors thought they could make a dollar.

          • Also stop pretending that fox is right wing. They are merely slightly less globalist left as the rest of the media.

          • @ Elliott who do you think those NGOs and private contractors were, they were American, supported by the U.S. government. Your pretending that somehow US NGOs and companies conspired with European governments to allow US companies And NGOs to make money at the expense of the U.S…..it was the U.S. that decided the ROE it was the US that decided the strategy…we just helped because we were allies.

    • I’d be really happy if America kept itself to itself. Something rarely mentioned by Trumpists is the defence dollars you earn. Have you thought about losing all those exports?

      I’d love the EU to begin promoting the culture of Europe and challenging Septics for tourism cash.

      I’d love to see Dutch, French and British forces not interdicting drugs travelling to the US.

      And sit back and watch you implode, while drinking kofola and eating tycinky.

  25. I am deeply dissapointed by Trump, because he lacks vision and missed the deal of the century.

    Just buy Russia! With its economy in the toilet, fairly sure a clever dealmaker could buy it for a song. Tons of ressources, huge access to the melting Arctic, make America even richer for many generations to come and ofc stop the war in Ukraine.

    So much winning like the world has never seen in history!

  26. Trump flooding the US audience with Russian lies & properganda, adding his own, is a recipe for disater.
    Seems like the 1982 TV series “Whoops Apolcalypse”, except this time it’s the USA that wants to join the Warsaw Pact rather than out PM.

    Cutting the US defence budget while trying to face down China is stupid beyond redemption.
    All the enemies of the west will be overjoyed.

  27. Trumps announcement yesterday was some what worrying.Most think Trump is giving Putin the upper hand which at the moment looks very much so ? However do have a feeling Trump could be playing Putin, early days yet.For our Defence budget 2.5% 🙄 really that’s laughable .Remember putting a post on UKdj before the Ukraine -Russian war started with the words we need to go back to a 1980s size forces and budget .Do recall a few posters laughing at this post .Which at the time fair enough but who’s laughing now .🤗 But if I’m honest with myself you guys know and myself this is no laughing matter.

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