Vladimir Putin will be judged by his actions, not his words, Downing Street said after the Russian president promised a 72-hour ceasefire in Ukraine.
Sir Keir Starmer, who called for an unconditional ceasefire, fears the Russian leader will “come back for more” if there is not a lasting solution to resolve the conflict.
Mr Putin said the temporary pause – starting late on Wednesday, May 7 in the UK until the night of Saturday, May 10 – would mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
But Downing Street expressed scepticism, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman telling reporters: “I think we’ll judge President Putin by his actions rather than his words.
“He’s proved time and time again he’s got no interest in peace, continuing his attacks on innocent Ukrainians during previous so-called ceasefires.”
Sir Keir told broadcasters there had to be an unconditional ceasefire.
The Prime Minister said: “It’s got to be lasting, because I don’t trust Putin, I think if it’s not a lasting ceasefire, he will come back for more and we mustn’t allow that to happen again. It’s happened in the past.”
Meanwhile, Downing Street welcomed the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend as “undoubtedly good”.
Following the meeting, the American leader suggested that his Ukrainian counterpart could be willing to cede control of Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Mr Putin in 2014.
Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump were pictured sitting down on the fringes of Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, having both travelled to the Vatican for the service.
The Ukrainian leader also had a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer, and Mr Zelensky and Sir Keir were also separately pictured in a conversation with Mr Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said on Monday: “It was undoubtedly good to see that meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky”.
He also said that Sir Keir had a “very good” meeting with Mr Zelensky, as well as conversations with other leaders “in the margins” at the gathering.
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was the first since their fraught White House clash in February.
The US President turned his criticism towards Mr Putin on Saturday, writing on TruthSocial that the Russian leader could be “just tapping me along”.
But he told reporters on Sunday that he thinks Mr Zelensky could be ready to give up Crimea, something which Ukraine has so far strenuously rejected as an option.
Asked about a suggestion the US could recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Sir Keir told broadcasters on Monday: “We are not at the end of the process yet and the discussions that are ongoing, they will be continuing this week.”
