Starmer tells Putin to cease taking part in video games and get severe about Ukraine peace deal | EUROtoday

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Vladimir Putin to get severe about peace in Ukraine as he urged Western leaders to ramp up financial strain to pressure him to the negotiating desk.

The prime minister accused the Russian chief of “playing games” over peace talks, as he ready to host a digital summit of round 25 nations on Saturday.

The nations within the “coalition of the willing”, which embody Britain, France, Australia and Canada, will talk about easy methods to assist Kyiv deter future Russian aggression within the occasion of any peace deal.

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The assembly comes as Putin continues to withstand a ceasefire within the bloody three-year struggle, which started when his troops invaded Ukraine.

But senior figures within the US sounded a observe of hope, with secretary of state Marco Rubio saying he was “cautiously optimistic” a cessation within the combating might be agreed.

During his assembly, Sir Keir may even name on Western leaders to make “concrete commitments”, together with to ramp up financial strain in addition to army help to Ukraine to defend itself in opposition to rising Russian assaults.

Ahead of the summit, the PM accused Putin of attempting to delay and play “games” along with his circumstances for any deal – and stated the “Kremlin’s complete disregard for Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal only serves to demonstrate that Putin is not serious about peace”.

In what might be seen as a warning to the West, he added: “If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious, and enduring peace – if they don’t, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war”.

He added: “My message to the Kremlin could not be clearer: stop the barbaric attacks on Ukraine, once and for all, and agree to a ceasefire now. Until then we will keep working around the clock to deliver peace.”

The assembly will have a look at how nations plan to contribute to the coalition of the prepared, forward of a army planning session subsequent week.

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The PM’s nationwide safety adviser Jonathan Powell can be anticipated to fulfill his American counterpart Mike Waltz in Washington this weekend, because the UK continues to pitch for the Anglo-French thought of a European peacekeeping pressure in Ukraine within the wake of any deal.

On Friday, allies united to name for a ceasefire with “no conditions” to halt the combating. Mr Trump additionally stated the US had “very good and productive” discussions with Putin, claiming there was a “very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end”.

Kyiv has already backed proposals from Washington for a 30-day ceasefire to the battle.

Mr Putin has stated the “thought is right, and we definitely help it” but questioned the details of the plan and indicated that a series of conditions would have to be met.

Mr Trump also claimed that thousands of Ukrainian troops were “surrounded” by the Russian military and that he had “strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II.”

In his nightly address in Kyiv, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian leader was too “afraid” to tell Mr Trump he wants to continue the war.

Meanwhile, Mr Waltz has suggested Russia could get the Donbas region of Ukraine as part of any peace deal.

In 2022, Moscow illegally annexed the Donbas, although Russian forces do not fully control the area.

In an appearance on Fox News, during which a series of suggestions about the shape of any peace deal were put to Mr Waltz, including that “perhaps the Donbas area specifically… that will go to Putin”, he replied: “You’re not flawed in any of that. What’s necessary is we’re discussing these issues with either side.”