Donald Trump's defence chief denied Thursday the US president was betraying Ukraine by opening talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin, as blindsided European powers insisted they and Kyiv must have a seat at the table.

Trump on Wednesday stunned European allies by agreeing to launch negotiations with Moscow on ending the nearly three-year Ukraine war, in his first publicly announced phone call with Putin since returning to power.

The US president revealed he expected to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine peace talks, in an extraordinary thaw in relations that sparked fears Kyiv would be frozen out.

That came after his administration poured cold water on Ukraine's goals of reclaiming all its territory and pushing to join NATO's protective umbrella.

"There is no betrayal there. There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace," US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said ahead of a meeting with his NATO........

© International Business Times