‘There’s just one manner Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may be defeated – keep in mind 1938’

Britain and Europe can face down Vladimir Putin if they “call Trump’s bluff” and send a powerful 100,000-man army to Ukraine, an international expert on European Affairs has told the Mirror.

Donald Trump has been accused of ‘selling out’ Ukraine this week after freezing Volodymyr Zelensky out of his controversial peace talks with Russia. Trump’s deal could potentially see Putin keep hold of all conquered territory in Ukraine so far – around a fifth of the country – and would keep no American troops in place once it has been signed, leaving Kyiv vulnerable to future attacks.

In an extraordinary rant on Wednesday, Trump appeared to side further with the Kremlin after he branded Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and accused him of playing the US government “like a fiddle”. Now, Professor Anthony Glees, professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, has urged leaders across Europe to heed the lessons of pre-World War II appeasement and “stand firm” against Russia.

He likened the current rhetoric coming from the White House to the darkest days of 1938, when Western powers allowed Hitler and Mussolini to carve up Czechoslovakia. It formed part of a failed appeasement policy that led to the outbreak of devastating global conflict just a few months later.

Professor Glees told the Mirror: “Most sensible people the length and breadth of Europe are viewing these preparatory talks with a foreboding not experienced since 1938, when the UK and France met Hitler and Mussolini at Munich to sign away lands belonging to free Czechoslovakia to try to appease the fascist dictators. It was sold as ‘peace with honour’ and a ‘peace in our time’. But within months Hitler swallowed all of Czechoslovakia and within a year Europe was at war and millions died. Even Neville Chamberlain doubted his own deal because he began rapid rearmament programmes on his return to the UK.

“That’s the picture Europe has before its eyes right now. A small but brave free democracy fighting for its life is forced to be a bystander as its sovereignty is destroyed by Trump and Putin, both land grabbers, both megalomaniacs, brothers in bullying others.”

Trump, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance seemed “either clueless about what happens when free nations are sacrificed to war lords”, or more likely “couldn’t care less”, the professor said. But he warned that the US could soon regret alienating its European allies, “especially if China decides to take a pop at Taiwan”.

This week, European leaders including Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in Paris to discuss what European support might look like in the event of a Trump deal. Mr Starmer has proposed a joint peacekeeping force in Ukraine involving troops on the ground to “guarantee the security of our continent” and provide a deterrent against any repeat Putin invasion.

The UK and France say they are willing to contribute to such a force – but other nations, such as Germany and Italy, have voiced concerns about the plans. Professor Anthony Glees has said Mr Starmer is right to take a lead on the issue, and believes a European peacekeeping force would represent a much-needed show of force against Russia.

He said: “A European force could of course be assembled and rapidly. 100,000 troops in Ukraine would demonstrate that Putin had not won. He knows this.

“Starmer is bang to rights in saying we would contribute to this and also right to call Trump’s bluff and get him either to confirm the US would provide cover or in effect sign NATO’s death warrant by refusing. Now is the time for Europe to stand firm. Led by doughty Starmer and Macron with von der Leyen’s cash as their prop, they are more than a match for Putin. It’s par for the course that whiny Scholz is trying to weasel his way out of committing German help, but he’ll be out of office on Sunday.”

It comes after Mr Starmer tonight gave his backing to Zelensky following Trump’s bitter personal attacks. In a call with Ukraine’s President the PM directly contradicted Mr Trump, saying Zelensky was a “democratically elected leader”. A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Starmer had said it was “perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during wartime”, as Winston Churchill did during World War II. Mr Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to travel to Washington next week, according to Trump’s national security advisor Michael Waltz.