We are closer to peace than ever, but Putin is not ready. We must pressure Russia - Starmer
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the hardest steps toward peace in Ukraine are still ahead because Russia is still not ready for it.
He said this at a press conference after the "Coalition of the Willing" meeting, Censor.NET reports.
Putin is not showing readiness for peace
Starmer stressed the importance of European and US allies working together for peace.
"We are closer to this goal than ever before. But the hardest yards are still ahead. We can reach a peace deal only if Putin is ready to make compromises," he said.
He recalled that over the past few weeks, the world had seen the opposite, as Russia carried out "further horrific strikes on Ukraine, killing and injuring civilians, and cutting power to millions of people in the middle of winter".
Starmer separately stressed that Russian forces struck a hospital in Kyiv literally a day before the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris.
In addition, the British prime minister recalled that Putin tried to divert attention from peace efforts with "groundless claims about attacks on his residence".
The UK prime minister also pledged to continue pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine, and said the UK would take part in monitoring the ceasefire under US auspices.
Background
- On Tuesday, January 6, a declaration of intent was signed in Paris on the future deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine. The document was endorsed by Ukrainian, French, and British leaders Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron, and Keir Starmer.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that documents on security guarantees for Ukraine will be signed in the near future.
