British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was vocal in a virtual gathering with some 25 global leaders on the Ukraine-Russia ceasefire agreement. He told the leaders that they should be willing to protect any peace agreement with their own hands and continue pressurizing Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign a ceasefire.
“My sense is that at some point, eventually, he [Vladimir Putin] is going to have to sit down and have some serious conversation,” Starmer added. “But, and this is a large but for us this morning during our meeting, we can’t just sit around and wait for that to occur. We have to continue to push forward, push ahead, and prepare for peace and a peace that will be secure and that will endure.”
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He added on further, “If [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is being genuine about wanting peace, then it’s straightforward, he has to desist from his violent assault on Ukraine and accede to a ceasefire.” Starmer insisted that an effort needed to be made towards continued pushing of peace and durable resolution.
In turn, Vladimir Putin reacted to a “request” from US President Donald Trump, on the security of Ukrainian soldiers withdrawing from Russia’s Kursk region. Putin made it clear that Moscow would only ensure their safety if they “surrender.” Putin urged Ukrainian President Zelensky to instruct his soldiers to drop their arms, saying, “We are sympathetic to President Trump’s call. If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment.”
