Prime Minister notches up another win with Donald Trump as he backtracks from plan to drop Russia sanctions

THERESA May has secured a second victory with Donald Trump after the US announced it will keep sanctions on Russia.

The president had signalled he was ready to relax the trade bans and asset freezes slapped on the Kremlin for invading Ukraine.

The PM firmly urged the property billionaire not to drop them on her White House visit last week.

Donald Trump’s new UN ambassador confirmed the hard-hitting measures would stay in place early yesterday morning during a stormy session of the Security Council in New York.

Condemning Russia’s “aggressive actions” in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, Ambassador Nikki Haley said: “The United States stands with the people of Ukraine who have suffered for nearly three years under Russian occupation.”

She added: “Until Russia and the separatists it supports respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity this crisis will continue.”

Europe’s leaders had feared Trump would abandon their joint stand over Ukraine, significantly boosting President Putin.

But Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said of Ms Haley’s first statement to the UN: “I wouldn’t want to call it friendly”.

But he lashed out in anger at Britain’s role in the diplomatic victory, saying London should “clean its conscience” by “giving back” the Falklands and

Gibraltar before passing judgment on the Kremlin’s annexation of Ukraine.

Mrs May’s success follows also winning a commitment from the president during their talks to stand “100%” by NATO.

During their historic first joint press conference in the White House last week, Mrs May insisted: “We believe the sanctions should continue and we’ve been continuing to argue that inside the European Union”.

But quizzed on what he would do about them, Mr Trump only said then: “We’ll see what happens”.

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