Defence secretary says a 'unified NATO' in America's 'best interests'

The defence secretary has said it is in America's "interest" that NATO remains strong and unified. John Healey was responding to a question about whether the US president can be trusted to deliver durable peace in Ukraine - given his recent attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Politics Live: Farage breaks silence over Trump's Ukraine attacks. He did not answer directly but said: "Europe's best security interests and America's best security interests are satisfied by an end to this war in Ukraine and by a strong, unified NATO.

"That's an argument that we are having and have discussed with the Americans and will continue to make.". Mr Healey refuted some of Mr Trump's recent remarks, including that Vladimir Putin "holds all the cards" when it comes to peace talks because he has already taken "a lot of territory", and that President Zelenskyy is a "dictator".

The cabinet minister said Mr Putin "holds the cards in the sense that he could end the war if he withdrew his troops". On Mr Zelenskyy, he said: "He was elected. He's the elected leader of Ukraine, and he's done what Winston Churchill did in Britain in the Second World War; suspended elections while at war.".

Mr Healey was speaking at a press conference in Norway, where negotiations have started on a new defence pact aimed at combatting the threat from Russia in the Arctic. The move towards the defence agreement comes as European countries continue to reel from the sharp shift in US foreign policy.

Be the first to get Breaking News. Install the Sky News app for free. Mr Trump has urged European nations to spend more on their own money on defence and has locked NATO allies out of initial peace talks over the future of Ukraine with Russia. He has made clear the security of Europe is no longer the US's defence priority and has this week attacked Ukraine's president Mr Zelenskyy, suggesting he is to blame for the Russian invasion, calling him a "dictator" and saying he "better move fast or he is not going to have a country left".

UK politicians have jumped to Mr Zelenskyy's defence but most have stopped short of outwardly criticising Mr Trump. Sir Keir Starmer spoke with Mr Zelenskyy on the phone last night calling him "Ukraine's democratically elected leader". Similar words were used by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, through Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey went further and accused Mr Trump of "lies".

On Thursday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also broke his silence - saying Mr Zelenskyy is "not a dictator" and people should take what Mr Trump says "seriously, not literally". The row between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy comes ahead of a meeting between Sir Keir and the US president in Washington DC next week.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News. The meeting will be Sir Keir's first with Mr Trump since his inauguration as US president in January, and will see Britain attempt to balance its support for Ukraine with the need to keep the White House onside as it presses on with trade tariffs.

Earlier on Wednesday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that a "role for Europe" in the end to the war in Ukraine is likely to be among the topics the prime minister will bring up for discussion in the US. Speaking to Sky News, she also revealed Sir Keir has held private calls with European leaders to ensure the Western alliance does not fracture while finding a solution to Ukraine.