Great Britain does not support idea of direct negotiations with Putin
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper did not support the idea of the leaders of France and Italy to resume direct negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
The British minister said this in an interview with Politico, according to Censor.NET.
Russia is not interested in peace
Cooper rejected the idea that European allies should consider resuming diplomatic talks with Putin as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
She stressed that Moscow had shown no real interest in peace.
"I think we need evidence that Putin really wants peace, and I don't see that at the moment," she said.
According to Cooper, the center of diplomacy is currently in Ukraine and its closest allies.
"We see tremendous commitment on the part of Ukraine, with support from the US and Europe, to develop peace plans, including security guarantees. But so far, I don't see any evidence that Putin is ready to sit down at the negotiating table or engage in discussions," she said.
Pressure on Russia
Cooper stressed that in the absence of such evidence, pressure on Moscow should be increased, not relaxed, through sanctions and military support.
"I think that, alongside this truly important work, we must still be prepared to increase pressure, economic pressure, as well as military pressure on Russia through military support for Ukraine," the minister added.
What preceded it?
- Let us recall that in early 2026, the leaders of Italy and France began to speak out in favor of resuming high-level dialogue so that Europe would not be excluded from the settlement process, which is currently being actively initiated by the United States.
- The European Commission believes that at a certain stage of the peace process regarding Ukraine, negotiations with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will take place, in which the European Union will also participate.
