Russian President Vladimir Putin will have to come to the negotiating table “sooner or later,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated on Saturday at the start of a virtual summit with approximately 25 heads of state and government leaders.
Starmer said that if Putin genuinely wants peace, it’s very simple: he must stop his barbaric attacks against Ukraine and accept a ceasefire. According to Starmer, the Russian president will eventually have to show his true intentions and engage in “serious negotiations.”
Starmer organised the meeting after the United States and Ukraine reached a 30-day temporary ceasefire agreement earlier this week. However, Russia has not yet agreed and has set conditions. The British Prime Minister believes that Putin appears to be stalling progress in ceasefire negotiations.
Starmer is working with French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders to form a coalition of willing countries that would send troops to enforce any potential peace agreement in Ukraine. In addition to various European countries, NATO, Ukraine, the European Commission, Canada, and Australia are participating in the virtual summit.
