Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice MP, has said he was shocked by an argument between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, and has suggested that a peace deal could see Ukrainian land leased to Russia.
The Presidents of the US and Ukraine, as well as Mr Trump’s deputy, JD Vance, had a heated exchange in the White House on Friday.
Mr Zelensky, who was there to sign an agreement over natural minerals, was accused of being ungrateful for American support, and Mr Trump said that his Ukrainian counterpart was “gambling with World War 3”.
Zelensky ended up leaving early before a scheduled press conference and singing ceremony.
Trump has said he will see him again when he is “ready for peace”.
Now, speaking exclusively to the Express in a cafe in Skegness, the seaside town is in his Lincolnshire constituency, Nigel Farage’s right hand man said: “Look, the reality is that peace talks are always difficult. Most conflicts and wars end up with some form of difficult, tense negotiation, and this was always going to be the case.
“Normally, that happens behind closed doors. Very unusual to see it in the public gaze.”
Asked if the argument shocked him, Mr Tice added: “Yes, it shocked everybody.
“But what you’ve got to do is actually focus on what’s the objective?
“The objective is, we’ve got to find a way to get to an enduring peace, and the only way we can do that is by talking, however difficult, however hard it is.
“It’s actually not about personalities. It’s about the objective to get an enduring peace.
“It’s all around the quality of the security guarantees, and I’ve been saying that for weeks, as has Nigel.”
Nigel Farage’s right hand man added “it’s also around the money”, mentioning $300billion in Russian state assets held in western central banks.
“Western leaders are being ridiculously feeble about having the courage to say, ‘We’re going to take those state assets from the aggressor Russia, and we’re going to use those to help rebuild Ukraine, to help defend Ukraine, with those security guarantees, and, potentially, to repay some of the money that’s been donated by western nations.’”
When asked if Ukraine should be given its sovereign territory back from Russia, Mr Tice answered: “Yes it’s sovereign territory.
“But, at the end of the day, people want peace. Everybody has to be honest about it.”
He then said there are “different ways to deal with land issues”, and gave an example of an agreement which accepts that land captured by Putin is Ukrainians territory, but you “grant a long-lease to Russia”.
“No one wants to reward Russia,” he said. But to get to peace, difficult discussions and compromises have to be made.”
On Saturday, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced that £27.8billion in frozen Russian assets in the UK
The Ukrainian President arrived in the UK today ahead of a meeting of European leaders on Sunday.
He met Sir Keir Starmer on Saturday and is set to meet the King today.
