Editorial 04.03.2025
Tuesday’s front pages are dominated by the ongoing row between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It’s been a tough week for the embattled Ukrainian president, following a row in front of the cameras at the Oval Office and US lawmakers calling for him to resign.
Trump recently criticised Zelenskyy for saying a deal between Ukraine and Russia was “very, very far away.”
The US has since paused military aid to Ukraine as Europe says it’s ready to “step up” on defence. However, the newspapers had already gone to print before it was announced.
Several of the tabloids lead on Meghan Markle’s Netflix show, whilst the Oscars make up many of the lead pictures on the front pages.
The back pages look ahead to tonight’s Champions League action as English clubs Arsenal and Aston Villa are in action.
‘US and Ukraine rift grows wider’
‘Zelenskyy won’t be around for very long,’ says the Daily Telegraph.
The Daily Telegraph reports on Trump’s comments about Zelenskyy saying a deal between Ukraine and Russia was not close. The US president is quoted by the paper as saying that Zelenskyy “won’t be around very long” if he does not end the war soon and that a peace deal “should not be that hard a deal to make.”
‘Europe seeking one month truce,’ reports The Guardian.
The Guardian reports that Trump’s comments came after reports that Europe is seeking a one-month truce between Russia and Ukraine. The paper says Trump’s comments follow a French proposal for a partial one-month truce.
‘Peace deal on the brink,’ reports the Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail reports that hopes for a peace deal were “on the brink” as Trump hinted he could pull aid for Ukraine. The paper also references the prime minister’s comments to MPs that he would not send British troops to keep the peace in Ukraine unless the US provided security guarantees.
‘Europe is week says Trump as they say they won’t send troops unless backstop from US,’ says The Times.
The Times reports on Donald Trump’s comments that Europe is weak. The European leaders have said they won’t send peacekeeping troops into Ukraine without a backstop from America. The paper also reports that there are fears that Trump could stop aid to Ukraine after threatening to “pull the plug.”
‘UK seeking new allies as PM works on a peace plan,’ reports the i newspaper.
The i newspaper says the UK “hunts new allies to keep Putin at bay”, reporting that US support is “unclear.” The prime minister is trying to produce “a viable peace plan in weeks,” it says.
‘PM says UK must lead from the front,’ highlights the Daily Express.
The Daily Express quotes the prime minister as saying the UK must “lead from the front” in protecting Ukraine from the Russian “menace” with the future of the country “vital for our national security.”
‘UK MPs from all sides back PM in his support of Ukraine,’ reports the Mirror.
The Mirror looks at the UK political response to the prime minister’s position. The paper says MPs from all sides have backed the PM in his support for Ukraine, calling this a “rare show of unity.” It cites Tory MP James Cleverly as saying the Labour PM has “not put a foot wrong” in talks with European leaders over the conflict.
‘Europe’s biggest powers moving towards seizing €200bn in frozen Russian assets,’ says the FT.
The FT reports on Europe’s preparation to take over from the US. The paper says Europe’s biggest powers are moving towards seizing more than €200 billion in frozen Russian assets. The paper says France and Germany, who had long opposed a full-blow seizure of the assets held in the EU, are now discussing with the UK and other countries how they could be used.
In more USA news, the FT reports that Trump’s return to power for his second term helped drive a rise in Americans applying to be UK citizens. The paper adds that it hit its highest level on record last year. The paper says that British tax changes also contributed to the high number of Americans applying for UK citizenship.