Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

It’s becoming harder for Nato to keep a united Nato front on
Ukraine, with President Trump’s unilateral efforts to bring an end to the war.

The head of the alliance, Mark Rutte, is still trying to hold the line –
saying that allies must step up their military support for Kyiv and that
Ukraine must be involved in any peace talks. But in reality Washington is
now making the calls.

That one phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin, due
to be followed up by a meeting, has pushed Nato to the sidelines. Some defence ministers are trying to convey the
message that nothing has fundamentally changed.

The UK defence secretary, John Healey, this morning repeated the familiar lines that Nato would remain
focussed on keeping Ukraine in the fight and “put them in the best position to
secure a lasting peace through strength”.

But Nato solidarity and strength has been weakened by the
clear message from Washington – that in trying to bring an end to the war
, it’s not prepared to bankroll military support for the Kyiv, or
allow Ukraine to join Nato.

Nor does it believe Ukraine should expect the
return of all its territory lost to Russia. It’s a very different message.