UK PM urges Russian leader not to "play games” over Ukraine ceasefire

Keir Starmer has warned that Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to “play games” with the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The UK prime minister is preparing to present proposals for a peace deal to a coalition of around 25 world leaders during a crucial virtual meeting today, March 15, Caliber.Az reports via British media.

Starmer’s meeting will bring together European nations, the EU Commission, NATO, Canada, Ukraine, Australia, and New Zealand. The goal of the gathering is to put pressure on Putin to “finally come to the table” and halt his “barbaric attacks on Ukraine.” The discussions come after Kyiv agreed this week to an immediate 30-day ceasefire, setting the stage for peace talks.

During the virtual meeting, participating nations will provide updates on the aid they can offer to enforce any potential peace agreement.

At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised former US President Donald Trump for his efforts to improve relations between Moscow and Washington. In a statement, Putin acknowledged that the new US administration under Trump was “doing everything” to restore what had been damaged by the previous administration. “We know that the new administration headed by President Trump is doing everything to restore at least something of what was basically destroyed by the previous US administration,” Putin said.

Putin’s remarks followed a recent conversation with Trump, in which the former US president appealed to him to save the lives of “thousands” of Ukrainian soldiers surrounded by Russian forces. However, military officials in Kyiv have denied claims of a large-scale encirclement, with no evidence to substantiate the assertion.

In a speech on March 14, Trump stated that the US had engaged in “good calls” with both Ukraine and Russia that day. “I think we’ve had some very good results,” he said, though he did not elaborate on the details. Trump later suggested to reporters that “Russia is going to make a deal with us.”

Downing Street, meanwhile, has refrained from specifying the exact goals of the upcoming meeting, citing the “fast-moving situation” and the large number of nations involved. The UK had initially planned to release a full list of attendees but was unable to do so due to the complexity of organizing the event at short notice. Reports suggest that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni may not attend the summit due to concerns about the Anglo-French push for a long-term peace deal.

Starmer’s plan, which he developed alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, will take centre stage at the meeting. This initiative follows the fallout from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s difficult White House meeting with Trump two weeks ago. Starmer and Macron had a one-on-one conversation on the evening of March 14 ahead of the summit, according to Downing Street.

By Tamilla Hasanova