Lammy warns it would be ‘wrong’ for Putin to put conditions on Ukraine ceasefire
Talks between the US and Ukraine produced the idea of a 30-day truce.
The Foreign Secretary has said it would be “wrong” for Vladimir Putin to place conditions on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
David Lammy said a pause in fighting would be a “first step” towards allowing talks to start on “a full settlement” to end the war, as US President Donald Trump warned it would be “very disappointing” for Moscow to reject the proposal.
Talks between the US and Ukraine produced the idea of a 30-day truce, with the US president sending envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to discuss the plans with the Kremlin.
The Russian leader said “the idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it”, but at a press conference in Moscow he added that “there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to discuss it with our American colleagues and partners”.
The Foreign Secretary, who is meeting G7 counterparts in Canada, said there is an “opportunity” for “a just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.
“The US and Ukraine have called for a full, immediate and unconditional 30-day ceasefire,” he told The Mirror.
“This would be a first step so that talks can start on a full settlement that protects Ukraine’s security and sovereignty. President Zelensky has shown that Ukraine is the party of peace.
“It would be wrong for Putin to lay conditions. Our support for Ukraine, and that of other partners, remains ironclad.”
Mr Putin and his allies have suggested Ukraine wants the ceasefire to allow its forces to regroup and rearm at a time when they are on the back foot and being forced out of the Kursk region after their incursion into Russian territory.
“We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis,” he said.
Mr Putin was due to meet Mr Witkoff on Thursday, a Kremlin adviser said.
In his nightly address in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian leader was too “afraid” to tell Donald Trump he wants to continue the war.
“That’s why, in Moscow, they are surrounding the ceasefire idea with such preconditions that it either fails or gets dragged out for as long as possible,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking alongside the Nato secretary general Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Mr Trump said: “A lot of the details of a final agreement have actually been discussed… Now we’re going to see if Russia is there and, if not, it will be a very disappointing moment for the world.”
Speaking on Fox News, US national security adviser Mike Waltz suggested Russia could get the Donbas industrial region as part of a peace deal.
In 2022, Moscow illegally annexed the Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk cities, which make up the Donbas, but Russian forces do not fully control the area.
A series of suggestions about what an agreement might look like were put to Mr Waltz, including that “maybe the Donbas region in particular… that would go to Putin”, to which he replied: “You’re not wrong in any of that.”What’s important is we are discussing those things with both sides.”
It is unclear whether Mr Waltz was suggesting the territory could be formally ceded to the Kremlin.
He said the US has “cautious optimism” an agreement can be reached soon after Mr Witkoff’s meeting.
Downing Street has made clear the UK supports Mr Trump’s warnings of “very bad” financial consequences for Moscow if Mr Putin fails to co-operate with peace talks.
Asked whether the UK would ramp up sanctions if the Kremlin rejected the ceasefire proposal, Downing Street said “ongoing US, UK and European pressure” would cripple Mr Putin’s income streams.
“President Trump’s leadership to suffocate Russia’s economy is welcome,” a Number 10 spokesman said.
After Mr Lammy’s G7 talks on Friday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will convene a summit of the “coalition of the willing” on Saturday.
Sir Keir said on Thursday that a peace deal in Ukraine is needed to ensure the Russian president’s war does not maintain a “choke hold” on Europe, and he stressed the need to deter him from attempting to conquer his neighbour again.
He said: “I profoundly believe that if we don’t secure a just peace and a lasting peace, then that insecurity, which we’ve already felt, will continue.
“That means, here, higher prices, higher bills, the cost-of-living crisis going on for even longer – if you like, a choke hold on our future, which will be much, much harder for us to tackle.
“We know some basics: Putin’s appetite for conflict and for chaos is already there, and it will only grow.
“Russia is already menacing our skies, our waters, our streets and our national security.”
He said any peace deal would have to allow Ukraine to be “sovereign and secure”.
Sir Keir defended his decision to offer British troops to a peacekeeping force to secure an agreement.
He said: “There have been settlements in Ukraine before which had not been backed up. Nobody’s defended the deal, and Putin has just crossed the line again when he wants to.
“That is not good for Ukraine. It’s not good for Europe and it’s not good for us.”
Downing Street said it would not set a timescale for when the Prime Minister hopes to put forward a concrete plan for the so-called “coalition of the willing”, because of “how quickly events can move”.
Asked when there would be more clarity about what the plans might involve, he said: “The Prime Minister’s intent is crystal clear.
“I think the nebulous responses are coming from Russia, the ball is in their court.
“There is a proposal there and in the mean time we are concentrating with our international partners on the best way to drive progress to secure that just and lasting peace.”
