LONDON: Britain’s leader encouraged his global counterparts to continue pushing for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine at the start of a virtual meeting Saturday intended to end the fighting between the two countries.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a virtual meeting of mostly European leaders that “sooner or later” Russia would have to engage in talks on reaching a ceasefire in the three-year conflict.
He addressed the group, described as a “coalition of the willing,” of mostly European leaders as well as those from Australia, New Zealand and Canada but not the United States.
“Sooner or later, he’s going to have to come to the table,” Starmer said of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Moscow to accept a ceasefire deal agreed to by U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said “the ball is in Russia’s court.”
Putin has said he agrees with a ceasefire in theory, but Russia still has certain conditions and questions that must be addressed before accepting any agreement.
In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Putin is stalling and has demanded so many preconditions “that nothing will work out at all.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. has expanded sanctions on Russian oil and gas as well as its financial sectors.
Saturday’s discussion among world leaders could address future military and financial support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy’s security concerns if a peace deal is reached. Zelenskyy attended Saturday’s online video session.
(VOA)
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