Keir Starmer has known as for the “guns to fall silent in Ukraine” and mentioned navy powers will meet subsequent week as plans to safe a peace deal transfer to an “operational phase”.
The UK prime minister mentioned Vladimir Putin’s “yes, but” strategy to a proposed ceasefire was not ok, and the Russian president must negotiate “sooner or later”.
He accused Putin of attempting to delay peace, and mentioned it should grow to be a actuality after greater than three years of warfare.
Starmer was talking at a press convention in Downing Avenue after a digital assembly of the “coalition of the willing”, together with the European Fee, European nations, Nato, Canada, Ukraine, Australia and New Zealand on Saturday morning.
The assembly was addressed by Starmer, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Nato secretary basic, Mark Rutte.
Starmer advised journalists: “Sooner or later Putin will have to come to the table. So this is the moment: let the guns fall silent, let the barbaric attacks on Ukraine once and for all stop, and agree to a ceasefire now.”
He added: “Now is the time to engage in discussion on a mechanism to manage and monitor a full ceasefire, and agree to serious negotiations towards not just a pause, but a lasting peace, backed by strong security arrangements through our coalition of the willing.”
He mentioned the assembly had led to “new commitments”, together with on the broader defence and safety of Europe.
“We won’t sit back and wait for Putin to act,” he mentioned. “Instead we will keep pushing forward, so the group I convened today is more important than ever.”
He added: “We agreed we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia, keep the military aid flowing to Ukraine, and keep tightening the restrictions on Russia’s economy to weaken Putin’s war machine and bring him to the table.
“And we agreed to accelerate our practical work to support a potential deal. So we will now move into an operational phase.”
after e-newsletter promotion
Of the navy assembly on Thursday, he mentioned it will result in “strong and robust plans … to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine’s future security”.
Starmer had earlier known as Ukraine and President Zelenskyy the “party of peace”.
He mentioned Donald Trump was “absolutely committed to the lasting peace that is needed in Ukraine, and everything he’s doing is geared towards that end”.
He advised journalists Europe wanted to enhance its personal defence and safety, and mentioned the UK was speaking to the US each day concerning the warfare.
Kyiv has already accepted plans for a direct 30-day ceasefire, however on Thursday Putin set out sweeping circumstances that he needed to be met earlier than Russia would agree. They embrace a assure that Ukraine wouldn’t rearm or mobilise in the course of the truce.
Starmer mentioned: “Volodymyr had committed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, but Putin is trying to delay, saying there must be a painstaking study before a ceasefire can take place. Well the world needs action, not a study, not empty words and conditions.”
On Saturday Zelenskyy posted on X that Russian forces have been increase alongside the jap border of Ukraine, which might sign an assault on the Sumy area.
He mentioned: “The buildup of Russian forces indicates that Moscow intends to keep ignoring diplomacy. It is clear that Russia is prolonging the war.”
The Ukrainian president mentioned his forces have been nonetheless combating in Russia’s Kursk area, and weren’t going through an encirclement, regardless of claims by his Russian and US counterparts.
Starmer mentioned: “President Trump has offered Putin the way forward to a lasting peace. Now we must make this a reality. So this is the moment to keep driving towards the outcome that we want to see, to end the killing, a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and lasting security for all of us.”
