There must be no easing of sanctions on Russia until the war in Ukraine ends, Sir Keir Starmer has said following a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” in Paris.
The Prime Minister said the group, which does not include the United States, had agreed there should be no reduction in sanctions on Moscow despite suggestions from the White House such a move would be part of a ceasefire deal.
Speaking alongside Volodymyr Zelensky, Sir Keir also accused Vladimir Putin of “playing games” over the peace process, saying there had been “absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay” among those present.
Thursday’s meeting in Paris, described by the Prime Minister as the largest so far, saw 30 nations plus Nato and the EU represented as talks on a peacekeeping force continued.
It also follows an announcement by the White House on Tuesday that both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to pause hostilities in the Black Sea after talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.
But the US also appeared to signal an intention to ease sanctions on Russian agricultural goods and improve Mr Putin’s access to maritime insurance, ports and payment systems.
As well as agreeing more support for Ukraine, Sir Keir said there had been “complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions.
“Quite the contrary, what we discussed is how we can increase sanctions to support the US initiative, to bring Russia to the table through further pressure from this group of countries.”
Speaking alongside Sir Keir, Mr Zelensky thanked Britain and France for their leadership of the “coalition of the willing” and called for a “common voice” to put pressure on Russia.
He said: “I think that Keir almost said all the outcomes which are very important for us, no lifting any kind of sanctions until Russia will stop this war. And I think more pressure on it, more packages of sanctions.”
In a series of tweets, the Ukrainian president added: “Lifting sanctions on Russia now would be a disaster for diplomacy. Sanctions are one of the few real tools the world has to pressure Russia into serious talks.
“What else is out there, apart from sanctions? If sanctions are weakened and Russia breaks the deal, bringing sanctions back will be incredibly slow and difficult.
“And by then, many will simply stop believing that sanctions actually work.”
Sir Keir, who held one-to-one talks with Nato chief Mark Rutte at the gathering, also presented the group with the outcomes of a series of military planning talks for a possible peacekeeping force.
Officials and defence chiefs have been holding talks at London’s Northwood military headquarters, drawing up a strategy to support Kyiv and deter future aggression from Moscow.
More than 200 military planners from countries across the world met to consider in detail the structure of any future deployment, including proposals for air, sea and land forces.
Earlier on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a European peacekeeping force could “respond” if attacked by Russia.
European officials say that under any peace settlement, Ukraine’s first line of defence against any future Russian attack would be its own army.
Following Sir Keir’s meeting with Mr Rutte on Thursday morning, a Downing Street spokesperson said the two men had agreed “Europe must do everything possible to keep (Ukraine) in the fight and keep up the pressure on Putin”.
They also “acknowledged the vital role of the United States in forging a path towards a ceasefire agreement and reiterated that Europe stands ready to support a durable and lasting peace when it comes”.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of breaking the terms of a tentative US-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges in negotiating a broader peace.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed Ukrainian drone attacks hit power facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions this week, which Ukraine dismissed as Kremlin disinformation aimed at justifying continued hostilities.
Ukrainian officials have said Moscow is “lying” about observing a ceasefire on energy infrastructure and has carried out eight confirmed hits on power sites.
On Thursday, Mr Zelensky also warned that Russia was preparing “new offensives” against the Sumy, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, while “dragging out the talks and trying to get the US stuck in endless, pointless discussions about fake ‘conditions’ just to buy time and then try to grab more land.”
Ukraine war latest: British military to head to Kyiv to discuss ‘reassurance force’
The Latest: Canada PM calls Trump tariffs a 'direct attack;' Trump downplays Signal exposure
French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal handed five-year sentence as diplomatic rift widens
Rachel Reeves vows not to ‘escalate US trade wars’: UK politics Live
Crown court backlog hits new record high
Netflix’s Baby Reindeer leads the way at Bafta TV nominations
