Starmer urges Putin to prove that he “takes peace seriously” in Ukraine after his latest meeting with allies
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign the war with Ukraine if he “takes peace seriously” and said allies will “keep pressure on the Kremlin, including financial and military pressure.
Starmer said that at a virtual meeting, he called it a “coal of willingness”, the “jitter and delay” of the Kremlin’s proposal for a ceasefire against U.S. President Donald Trump, and the “continued barbaric attack” on Ukraine, was completely opposed to Principe’s desire for peace.
“We agree that the ball is now in the Russian court, and President Putin must prove that he is serious about peace and signs the ceasefire in the same way,” the prime minister said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was sworn in in Ottawa on Friday, includes European partners including Prime Minister Mark Carney, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as leaders from Australia and New Zealand and officials from NATO and EU executives. The United States did not attend the conference.
Starmer convened a second meeting in two weeks as face the approaching of the United States after Trump returned to office and to support any possible peacekeeping mission to help Ukraine. There are more countries participating this time than the last meeting on March 2.
Better determination from “Willed Alliance”
The British Prime Minister said that “collective determination is stronger and new commitments are made”, which is related to both the “coalition willing to defend the deal” and the broader issues of European defense and security.
Starmer said all those attending the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security and agreed that Ukraine “must be able to defend itself and prevent future Russian aggression.”
He said “strong and credible security arrangements” are the best way to ensure lasting peace in Ukraine, and military planners will be called again in the UK this week to propose practical plans to support Ukraine’s future security.
Talk about maintaining peace in the troops
Starmer once again said without providing precise details that the allies were ready to incorporate their forces into Ukraine to maintain any post-ceasefire peace. Britain and France have been working to get Ukraine’s allies to provide troops, weapons or other assistance to European military forces that can be deployed to enable Ukraine and prevent Russia from attacking again.
“We will establish Ukraine’s own defense and armed forces and are ready to deploy in the peace agreement as a willing coalition to help ensure Ukraine is on land, at sea and in the sky,” he said.
The meeting came after the U.S. proposed a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which Zelenskyy supported. Putin said he supports the truce in principle, but many details have been formulated that need clarification before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Starmer said Zelenskyy’s search for support for an unconditional ceasefire shows that Ukraine is a “peace party.”
Zelenskyy emerged from the meeting, calling for strengthening sanctions to force Russia to accept a ceasefire without conditions, which could pave the way for a peace agreement.
In a series of posts on X, he said, “Moscow knows a language” and the 30-day ceasefire “no killing” will create a window where “it’s really possible to negotiate all aspects of true peace.”
“Good resonance from Russia”: Trump
Trump expressed optimism on Friday, and Putin met with our special envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this week and he would back off.
“I ended up reaching some pretty good resonance from Russia from the perspective of the ceasefire,” he said.
Three years after the full Russian invasion, Ukraine has endorsed the armistice proposal for a part of the war under severe military pressure. Russia’s army gained momentum on the battlefield, and analysts say Putin may not want to arrive at the ceasefire, and he feels he has an advantage.
“The world is watching,” Starmer said. “Sooner or later, he will have to come to the dining table for serious discussion.”
Denied Ukrainian army surrounds Kursk
Trump wrote on his truth social platform Friday that his administration held “productive” talks with Putin on Thursday, during which he urged him to “replace the “Ukrainian army” and he said “completely surrounded.”
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukrainian troops are still defending against Russian and North Korean forces in the Kursk region of Russia, while they face new attacks on the Sumi-Mi region in northeastern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said in a statement on social media after being introduced by his top general that the troops in Kiev were not surrounded by Kursk, but that Moscow had accumulated troops nearby for a separate strike.
“This shows an intention to attack our Sumi area,” he said. “We know this and will fight.”
“I want all [our] The partners understand exactly what Putin is planning, why he is preparing and what he will ignore. ”
Putin said on Thursday that he supported Trump’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, but would continue to fight until several key conditions were laid out.
“Russia is prolonging the war”
“The accumulation of Russian forces shows that Moscow intends to continue to ignore diplomacy,” Zelenskyy added. “It is obvious that Russia is prolonging the war.”
In his statement, he also said that the strategic and strategic battlefield situation in Ukrovsk was “stable” and that Ukraine successfully used a new domestically produced long-range missile in combat.
Kiev is seeking to expand its domestic defense industry to lift itself out of Western allies that provide critical artillery, air defense and long-range strike capabilities.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s new Long Neptune missile has a range of 1,000 kilometers.
