Ukraine-Russia war latest: US ‘ends intelligence sharing’ with Kyiv as Starmer insists Trump is ‘reliable ally’

Labour MPs have warned aid budget cuts could result in Britain’s departure from the world stage, with Russia and China filling the void.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was also accused of “taking the axe” to Britain’s “most effective tool for reducing global conflicts” by Labour’s Sarah Champion, who chairs the International Development Committee.

While several MPs welcomed the Government’s decision to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of the size of the economy from April 2027, ministers faced calls to reconsider the plan to achieve this by slashing development assistance aid from its current level of 0.5 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3 per cent in 2027.

Conservative former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell said: “Who is it who will fill the gap in all of this? It will be China and Russia. And of course it will be music to the ears of the many terrorist organisations which exist across Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed (Sheffield Central) said UK aid “makes the world safer and it saves lives”, noting: “Cutting the aid budget will undercut our ability to build global partnerships and alliances.

“When the UK helps countries to adjust to climate change, to grow and to prosper, we build our relationships and our influence. When countries like ours withdraw, China and Russia stand ready to step in.”

Conservative peer Sir Nicholas Soames, 77, told the House of Lords that the US administration “despise Europe really”.

He also predicted that in future the “special relationship” between the UK and the US would not be “what it was”.

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Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he will open debate about extending the French nuclear umbrella to European partners.

In a televised speech to the nation, he added that the ultimate decision on using nuclear weapons will remain in the hands of the French president only.

The UK and France are the only two nuclear powers in Europe, with Mr Macron citing the request of Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who wished to request the extension of the nuclear umbrella.

“We need reforms, we need to make choices, and we need to be brave,” Macron said.

“[Merz] has called for a strategic debate on providing that same protection to our European allies… whatever happens the decision will be in the hands of the president of the Republic and the heads of the army.”

Macron also says he will hold a meeting of European army chiefs in Paris next week, and will also discuss defence plans with EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday.

Addressing the rift between Ukraine and the US, President Macron said: “I want to believe that the US will stand by our side, but we have to be ready for that not to be the case.”

He repeated his willingness to commit French troops as a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached and said that France will double its army as it boosts defence spending.

“France has to recognise its special status – we have the most efficient, effective army in Europe,” he says, also noting that Paris has nuclear weapons.

President Macron has stressed that Europe must continue to support Ukraine, and said that peace cannot be achieved “by the price dictated by Russia”.

Adding that Putin cannot be trusted, he said: “Russia started it in 2014 and we negotiated a ceasefire then and the same Russia has not respected that ceasefire so we need to maintain that balance and today we can no longer believe their word. Ukraine has the right to peace and security for itself.”

In a televised address, French president Emmanuel Macron has reiterated the threat from Russia, describing it as a “new era”.

“If a country can invade its neighbour in Europe and go unpunished, nobody can be sure of anything,” he said.

“Beyond Ukraine, the Russian threat is real – it affects the European countries.”

He added that Putin’s aggression is “without borders” and that they have been targeting social media, healthcare systems and are seeking to build up their army and defence system.

French president Emmanuel Macron is set to give an address shortly, ahead of an EU summit in Brussels tomorrow which will see Ukrainian president Zelensky meet with other leaders.

In a social media post this morning, the French leader told his citizens: “At this time of great uncertainty, when the world is facing its greatest challenges, I will speak to you tonight at 8pm.”

Taking questions from reporters, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Trump administration saw Zelensky’s latest statement as a “positive step forward” in obtaining a peace deal.

Asked about last Friday’s argument in the Oval Office and Zelensky’s relationship with the US, Ms Leavitt said that there had been reports that President Joe Biden had also gotten “increasingly frustrated” with the Ukrainian president.

On the pause blocking US aid for Ukraine, she says: “They are reconsidering the funding for Ukraine… it’s a pause for a review.”

Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told a Fox News programme that the president would consider restoring assistance to Kyiv if peace talks are arranged and unspecified confidence-building measures taken.

A source familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Trump administration had halted “everything,” including targeting data that Ukraine has used to strike Russian targets.

A second source said intelligence-sharing had only “partially” been cut, but was unable to provide more detail.

Washington on Monday halted military aid to Kyiv following a disastrous Oval Office meeting on Friday in which Trump and Zelenskiy engaged in a shouting match before the world’s media. The clash delayed the signing of a Ukraine-U.S. minerals deal.