Britain’s top military chief has fired a warning shot to the West to not be cowered by Vladimir Putin.

In a rare and significant statement, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the leader of Britain’s Armed Forces, called for NATO to take a strong position in every sector, ranging from nuclear capabilities to cyber defense, as Donald Trump prepares for a crucial face-to-face meeting with the Russian president in Alaska tomorrow.

Sir Tony’s comments come amid fears that Trump could cut a peace deal over Ukraine that sidelines Kyiv’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

However, the US president emphasized his stance against intimidation, asserting that Putin ‘wouldn’t dare challenge me’ and ensuring prompt action, whether it results in a breakthrough or leads to increased sanctions, should discussions fall apart.

From the Oval Office, Trump committed to ‘laying the groundwork for upcoming discussions’ and cautioned that if the talks go awry, they will terminate swiftly, but if successful, they could lead to peace imminently.

European leaders have been rattled by the possibility of Trump and Putin striking a deal without their input.

Trump sought to ease concerns by noting that a follow-up meeting — which might include Zelensky and selected European leaders — is where the key decisions will truly be made.

‘The subsequent meeting is of greater significance; it involves a session with President Putin, President Zelensky, myself, and possibly European leaders,’ he stated.

In an impactful statement, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, head of Britain’s Armed Forces, pressed NATO to assert strength across all areas, from nuclear arms to cyberspace

Sir Tony’s comments come amid fears that Trump could cut a peace deal over Ukraine that sidelines Kyiv ‘s president, Volodymyr Zelensky

Zelensky, notably excluded from Friday’s meeting, was in London yesterday for talks with Sir Keir Starmer

‘The second meeting is going to be very, very important, because that’s going to be a meeting where they make a deal. And I don’t want to use the word ‘divvy’ things up. But you know, to a certain extent, it’s not a bad term’.

Marking the 80th anniversary of VJ Day in The Telegraph, Sir Tony stressed NATO’s post-war unity, arguing: ‘Putin doesn’t want a war with NATO because he would lose. So we should not be cowed by his rhetoric or his campaign of sabotage, outrageous as it may be’.

He added: ‘The one weapon that is most needed in our arsenal is confidence’.

Sir Tony dismissed claims of major Russian advances, revealing they’ve taken less than 0.4 per cent of Ukrainian territory this year, despite losing over a million soldiers killed or wounded.

Meanwhile, Putin arrived in the US flanked by foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and defence minister Andrei Belousov.

In a calculated charm offensive, the Kremlin leader praised Washington’s ‘energetic’ push for peace – comments Trump brushed aside, again warning: ‘I am president, and he’s not going to mess around with me’.

Zelensky, notably excluded from Friday’s meeting, was in London yesterday for talks with Sir Keir Starmer, posting online that they discussed ‘security guarantees’ to make any peace deal lasting. 

Zelensky posted online that he and Starmer discussed ‘security guarantees’ to make any peace deal lasting

A blaze in a residential area following a powerful explosion as emergency services respond to the aftermath of the fire, on August 14, 2025 in Sloviansk, Ukraine

Behind the scenes, Trump is said to be ready to tempt Putin with lucrative incentives – including access to rare earth minerals in occupied Ukraine, lifting sanctions on Russian aircraft, and even tapping into Alaska’s natural resources.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is reportedly weighing up economic trade-offs to speed up a ceasefire.

But Trump has privately admitted there is still a one-in-four chance the summit will fail. 

It comes after Trump warned Putin ‘there will be very severe consequences’ if Russia does not agree to stop the war in Ukraine after their meeting on Friday.

The US President took a tougher tone against the dictator on Wednesday saying he was yet to be convinced he would be able to persuade Putin to stop killing civilians.

European leaders also said Trump had agreed to make an immediate ceasefire at the start of negotiations a priority – something that will be painful for Moscow which is gaining territory by the day.

US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said Trump had vowed that they would ‘bring peace to Europe’ in a speech at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

European leaders have been rattled by the possibility of Trump and Putin striking a deal without their input

JD Vance on Wednesday said the US President had vowed that they would ‘bring peace to Europe’ in a speech at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire

French President Emmanuel Macron (left) speaks by video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left, onscreen) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) on Wednesday. The leaders also had a joint call with President Donald Trump 

He channelled the spirit of how America and Britain had brought peace by victory in World War Two after spending the week with Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House in Kent.

Describing what he and Lammy had discussed, the Vice President said: ‘What we did is we worked on one of our most important shared security goals in Europe, which is the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

‘The President of the United States came in six months ago, and I just talked to him right before I came on the stage, and he said very simply that we are going to make it our mission as an administration to bring peace to Europe once again.’

It marked a successful day of European diplomacy after Trump’s deeply concerning press conference on Monday where he appeared to blame Zelensky for the war and take a softer stance against Putin.