Russian President Vladimir Putin is "laughing all the way to the bank" after Donald Trump's anti-Ukraine remarks and controversial peace proposals, an expert tells the Daily Express.

       This week, the US President sparked anger among Western allies after he labelled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator."

       Mr Trump also said in his Truth Social post: "I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died."

       Reacting to the remarks, security and defence expert Nicholas Drummond said: "I think at the moment Europe is united in collective shock after Trump's comments this week. I think what the European media have missed is how much Trump has divided opinion in America.

       "The Democrats were already against him and saw him as a huge threat to democracy. But now, this week he has divided the Republican Party with some concerned with what he has done.

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       "This refusal to condemn Putin while condemning Zelensky was astonishing. It was deranged."

       Mr Drummond also fears a peace deal will allow Putin to rebuild his exhausted military and ailing economy.

       Ukraine estimates that Russia has suffered over 800,000 casualties since the invasion began three years ago.

       While the Russian economy was surprisingly resilient after the West imposed wide-ranging sanctions, the country is now experiencing rampant inflation, with interest rates up to 21%.

       Mr Drummond continued: "This deal is a lifeline to Putin. It allows him to declare a great victory. It will bolster him domestically. He gets space and time to rebuild the economy and military,

       "Putin is laughing all the way to the bank. He will be in a very strong position. This deal could strengthen him, not weaken him."

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       One of Mr Trump's primary complaints has been Europe's unwillingness to meet its defence spending targets.

       Mr Drummond believes Europe must rapidly develop its military resources to make the continent less reliant on the US.

       He said: "Trump wants Europe to step up on defence. Maybe European allies could go all in and reconstitute our defence industries in Europe. We could overtake the US in some areas of technology, and if we did that, we would be able to support Ukraine and stand by ourselves.

       "That would enable Ukraine to fight on."