Sir Keir Starmer accused Vladimir Putin of “playing games” as he insisted sanctions on Russia cannot be eased until the war in Ukraine ends
Speaking alongside Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris, the Prime Minister said the nations taking part in the “coalition of the willing summit” agreed economic pressure on the Kremlin must be maintained.
The Prime Minister said the meeting was “bigger than we have had before”, with 30 countries plus Nato and the European Union represented.
“There was absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay and playing games, and we have to be absolutely clear about that,” he said.
His comments were echoed by Mr Zelensky, who 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.”
He also called for a “common voice” to put pressure on Russia, which he said “does not want any kind of peace”.
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.
On Tuesday it was announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to pause hostilities in the Black Sea.
In statements published on Tuesday, the White House said both nations had agreed to “ensure safe navigation” and “eliminate the use of force” in the sea.
However, the US also appeared to signal an intention to ease sanctions on Russian agricultural goods and improve Putin’s access to maritime insurance, ports and payment systems.
The talks were part of efforts by the administration of President Donald Trump to implement a limited, 30-day ceasefire that Moscow and Kyiv agreed to in principle last week.
That has so far failed to materialise as both sides continue to launch drone and rocket attacks.
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.
Mr Zelensky met his French counterpart on Wednesday ahead of a summit of 31 delegations in Paris that will discuss peacekeeping plans for Kyiv.
In televised remarks after the meeting, Mr Macron said: “If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement.
“Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it.”
European officials say that under any peace settlement, Ukraine’s first line of defence against any future Russian attack would be its own army.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said a Franco-British team would be heading to Ukraine within days to help Kyiv bolster its military.
Speaking at a press conference in Paris, translated by Sky News, he said: “In very concrete terms, we agreed that the British Prime Minister and myself will task our chiefs of defence to ensure that a Franco-British team should be sent to Ukraine in the next few days to work very closely with our Ukrainian partners.
“They also agreed to this mechanism in order to prepare the format of the Ukrainian armed forces in the future, the army, the navy and the air forces.
“What format is required in terms of the number of soldiers and what equipment and hardware is required in order to respond to future Russian aggression and deter any Russian aggression.
“This will enable us to move forward to a planning phase in order to clarify the contribution of each country that’s a member of our coalition, in order to give Ukraine a clear idea of the very precise action plan we want to put in place.”
