RUSSIA is preparing to start a major war in Europe and will not stop at Ukraine, a top Nato defence minister has warned.
Dovile Sakaliene, the defence minister of Lithuania, also said that trusting Vladimir Putin to strike a peace deal with Donald Trump is a “deadly trap”.
Putin has agreed the “war must end” after Donald Trump went past Ukraine and European leaders to do business directly with the Kremlin.
But defence experts believe that ultimate peace would not be achieved if the war ends on Russian terms.
Speaking from a meeting in Brussels today, Sakaliene said: “Whether we decide to fall under the illusion that Trump and Putin are going to find a solution for all of us – and that would be a deadly trap – or we will as Europe embrace our own economic, financial and military capacity and we will be the ones who will be deciding what will happen in Europe and in Ukraine, with the US.”
Sakaliene warned that European allies need to ramp up efforts to build a more robust defence system that doesn’t solely rely on the US.
She said: “In a few years we will be in a situation where Russia – with the speed that it’s developing its defence industry and its army – is going to move forward.
“If we are not able to work together as a team for the democratic world, it is going to be the darkest times since the Second World War.”
European leaders have been left fuming that they and Ukraine appear to have been cut out of talks by Trump before the process started.
President Zelensky said his country cannot accept “any agreements” without being involved in the talks.
The brave leader said it was fair that America could talk to Russia but any peace deal involving Ukraine had to have Ukraine’s input.
Knowledge of the direct call between Trump and Putin “was not pleasant for me”, he said.
FRAGMENTED NATO
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied America is “betraying Ukraine” in doing business directly with Russia.
At a Nato meeting in Brussels on Thursday, he said: “There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace, as President Trump has said, stopping the killing.”
Hegseth described the Ukraine conflict as “a factory reset for NATO, a realization that this alliance needs to be robust and strong and real”.
He went on to reiterate that European nations need to increase their defence spending.
Hegseth said: “There is a Russian war machine that has sought to take more and more land in Ukraine, and standing up against that is an important European responsibility.”
On Wednesday, Hegsesth said it was “unrealistic” for Ukraine to return to its 2014 borders before Putin invaded Crimea.
Whether Kyiv will accept the deal decided between Trump and Putin remains unknown.
How America is going about securing peace has created a split between the Nato allies in Washington DC and European capitals.
EUROPE ON RED ALERT
Spy chiefs have already warned of an acute threat from the Kremlin saying Putin is looking to start a major war within Europe within the next five years.
Intelligence from Denmark has assessed the Russian despot’s military capacity claiming he could be ready to spark wars with neighbouring regions in months ahead of a full-scale attack on NATO.
The unclassified assessment said: “Russia perceives itself as being in conflict with the West and is preparing for a war against NATO.
“While no decision to initiate such a war has been made, Russia is building the capacity to make that choice if deemed necessary.”
The report says that the expansion has shifted from restoration to “an intensified military buildup aimed at waging war against NATO”.
It added that the threat is greater if Putin sees NATO as “militarily weakened or politically divided”.
In as little as six months time, Russia may be able to wage a local war with a neighbouring country if it can reallocate its military resources currently committed to the Ukraine war.
Georgia and Moldova – both ex-Soviet states – are seen as potentially at risk.
Within two years, the report claims Moscow could pose a significant threat to one or more NATO countries in the Baltic states.
Nations at risk are perceived to be Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all ex-USSR.
The threat of a large-scale war with Europe could happen within five years, presuming the U.S. does not intervene, according to the assessment.
As Trump vows to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, the outcome of the conflict is critical since “it is unlikely that Russia could sustain both the war in Ukraine and a simultaneous war with NATO”.
EXCLUSIVE by Sergey Panashchuk & James Halpin
Defiant soldiers on the front line have told The Sun how they fear Ukraine could be handed over to Moscow in a peace deal.
At the front, Vasyl Savyn, 54, company commander of the 56th Separate Mariupol brigade said soldiers were not ready to give up because Trump wants to.
He said: “In our company, we don’t have any American weapons; we are independent from Trump’s decisions.
“There are only people left on the front line who want to fight and see the victory.
“We may die here, but we will not give up.”
Eugen Sobchenko, 41, an engineer from Odessa, said he was “very concerned” about the deal.
He believes Trump wants to give Putin enough concessions from Ukraine to frame the war as a win.
Eugen said: “Ukraine will turn into his unconditional victory both for the domestic citizen and for many external partners/countries.
“I want to hope that this is not the case, but I have little hope, unfortunately. This is indirectly confirmed by the Rouble exchange rate and the Russian stock market.”
Another soldier, Eugen, from an Odessa anti-drone unit, said “nothing good will come out of” the deal for Ukraine.
Eugen said: “I have a strong feeling that we are being betrayed by our biggest ally. I don’t feel comfortable at all.
“Time will tell more, of course. I wish to be wrong.”
Vika Roik, 35, a business owner, said Trump wanted to be remembered as a “great man” of history but an unfair peace would only inflame tensions.
Vika said: “I think he is on the verge of losing an allied army in the future—the Ukrainian army—and the Americans will pay for it.”
Mariya Chechelnytska, 37, from Kyiv, said she felt like it was the “start of a great show” between two unpredictable leaders.
She said: “They both defend their personal interests to the last breath and are not very famous for keeping their word. These negotiations can hardly be successful from the first call.”
