British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer has told allies “put pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin in support of the Ukrainian ceasefire, which calls the Ukrainian ceasefire the “Party of Peace.”
In his opening remarks on Saturday, he said that the priority must be that Putin must “come to the table” “sooter or later.”
Unlike the first summit on March 2nd, there will be a meeting of what is essentially taking place on the star known as the “Jour Union.” The call is expected to delve into ways to support Ukraine military and financially for future peacekeeping missions if Putin regains its hostilities.
“Sooner or later he feels he has to come to the table and engage in a serious discussion, but this is a big thing for us this morning at our meeting – we can’t sit down and wait for it to happen.”
“That means strengthening Ukraine, allowing them to protect themselves, and clearly, from the perspective of providing further support to Ukraine from all of us, from a fundraising perspective.”
Approximately 25 countries are expected to be involved in the call, including European partners such as France, Italy and Ukraine. Leaders from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as officials from NATO and the European Union, will also be taking part. The United States is not represented by the conference.
Saturday’s meeting comes in the wake of the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, supported by Ukrainian President Voldy Mee Zelensky. Putin shows that he supports a ceasefire in principle, but sets up a number of details that need to be clarified before agreeing to a ceasefire.
“President Zelensky, who is with us this morning, has once again shown that Ukraine is the party of peace because he agrees and is committed to an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days,” Starmer said. “What we’re seeing now, and this is the center of our discussion today: what Putin is trying to delay.”
The United States has shifted its approach to war since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. The change to the approach taken by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, became particularly pronounced after his clash with Zelensky in his oval office on February 28th.
Trump expressed optimism on Friday.
“I get from a ceasefire perspective and, ultimately, the perspective of a rather good atmosphere coming out of Russia,” he said.
Starmer, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, led the “Wished Union.” One result is that acceptance is growing, especially from European countries, and more needs to be done to ensure their own security, including increasing defense spending.
Images of Elysie showed Macron and his aides listening to Starmer’s opening statement in the room of the French presidential palace.
Ukraine is under severe military pressure on some of the frontlines three years after the full-scale Russian invasion, and has already approved the ceasefire proposal. The Russian army has gained battlefield momentum, and analysts say it is likely that Putin will be reluctant to rush to a ceasefire while he feels he has an advantage.
Priority said that if Putin is “serious about peace,” he must “stop the wild attacks” in Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire.
“The world is watching,” he said.
