US President Donald Trump’s “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has sparked fears in Europe of a “dirty deal” being struck to end the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow without Kyiv’s involvement.

The announcement of the Trump-Putin call made no mention of Europe or of much of a Ukrainian role, playing into fears that their interests will fall by the wayside.

European powers, including Britain, France and Germany, said on Wednesday they had to be part of any future negotiations on the fate of Ukraine, underscoring that only a fair accord with security guarantees would ensure lasting peace.

"Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Sucker,'" Hegseth told a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Europe should be primarily responsible for defense on the European continent,

Pentagon head Pete Hegseth defended Trump's Ukraine negotiations with Putin and urged allies to 'make Nato great again' US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected criticism on Thursday of Washington's negotiating strategy with Russia on the war in Ukraine and warned Europe against treating America like a "sucker" by making it responsible for its