Ukraine is sending a delegation to London on Wednesday for talks with Western allies on finding a resolution to the war with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday – as Vladimir Putin separately raised the possibility of bilateral talks with Kyiv for the first time in years.
The Ukrainian president said he had had a “good and detailed conversation” with Sir Keir Starmer, who supports calls for a full ceasefire.
“We are ready to move forward as constructively as possible,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that a 30-hour Easter truce proclaimed by Moscow, which each side accused the other of violating, showed that it was Russia’s actions “that are prolonging the war”.
Putin, under pressure from Washington to show willingness to make peace in Ukraine, told a TV reporter in Russia that Moscow was open to any peace initiatives and expected the same from Kyiv.
“We always have a positive attitude towards a truce, which is why we came up with such an initiative,” Putin said.
The Kremlin has so far resisted calls for a full ceasefire, while never fully ruling it out, and has delayed implementing more limited agreements covering the Black Sea, insisting that sanctions on Russia are eased first.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister had spoken to Mr Zelensky to emphasise his “iron-clad” commitment to Ukraine and discuss plans for the “coalition of the willing” led by Britain and France.
The spokesperson added: “[Sir Keir] said that the UK supports Ukraine’s calls for Russia to commit to a full ceasefire, and that now is the time for Putin to show he is serious about ending his brutal war.”
I spoke with UK Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer — a good and detailed conversation.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 21, 2025
Already this Wednesday, our representatives will be working in London. Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States — we are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just… pic.twitter.com/cLHexIi5UY
Mr Zelensky said: “Already this Wednesday, our representatives will be working in London. Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States – we are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace.”
It comes after the end of a 30-hour “Easter truce” unilaterally declared by Putin on Saturday.
The Russian president claimed he was declaring a truce due to “humanitarian considerations”, shortly after US officials suggested Washington could end its efforts to mediate an end to the conflict if there were no signs of progress soon.
Mr Zelensky welcomed talk of a truce, challenging Putin to extend it to 30 days as a previous US-Ukrainian proposal had suggested.
But each side has accused the other of violating the temporary ceasefire, with Mr Zelensky saying Russia had breached its terms more than 2,900 times, shelling Ukrainian positions and carrying out drone attacks.
Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of Ukraine’s Kherson oblast, said Russian attacks during the ceasefire had killed three people in his region.
Mr Zelensky said: “An unconditional ceasefire must be the first step toward peace, and this Easter made it clear that it is Russia’s actions that are prolonging the war.”
Russia’s defence ministry denied that its forces had breached the truce, and accused Ukraine of committing 4,900 violations.
Overnight into Monday, Russian forces fired three missiles at Ukraine’s southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv, as well as sending 96 Shahed drones to target other parts of the country, Ukraine’s air force reported. It said it had downed 42 drones, while 47 others were jammed mid-flight.
Four civilians also sustained injuries in the partially occupied Donetsk region, according to regional head Vadym Filashkin, who said the Russian forces had shelled settlements in the region five times over the past 24 hours.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report
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