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LONDON — Keir Starmer urged Vladimir Putin to stop “playing games” or face more economic pain, as he prepared to host a call with allies Saturday on policing any ceasefire agreed for Ukraine.
The British leader — who has been among those trying to assemble a “coalition of the willing” to give a Ukraine deal meaningful security guarantees — accused the Russian president of “trying to delay” peace by laying out a host of conditions before a ceasefire can take place.
“The world needs to see action, not a study or empty words and pointless conditions,” Starmer said. He warned that if Russia fails to engage, Ukraine’s allies will need to ramp up the economic pressure on Moscow to comply.
“We can’t allow President Putin to play games with President Trump’s deal,” Starmer said in a statement released by No. 10 Downing Street Friday evening. “The Kremlin’s complete disregard for President Trump’s ceasefire proposal only serves to demonstrate that Putin is not serious about peace.”
In a televised address Thursday, Russia’s president laid out a raft of caveats for accepting the proposal put forward by the U.S. and Ukraine to end the Kremlin’s war. Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said the U.S. has “some cautious optimism” that a ceasefire deal could succeed.
Leaders from what the U.K. has termed a “coalition of the willing” — featuring European countries, the European Commission, NATO, Canada, Ukraine, Australia and New Zealand — will join the Starmer-hosted virtual meeting Saturday.
The British prime minister has pledged to put U.K. military boots on the ground and provide air cover in Ukraine if necessary to deter Russia. Alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, he has been lobbying Trump to undergird any deal with U.S. military guarantees.
Ahead of the meeting, Starmer held calls Friday afternoon with Macron and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
No.10 said in a statement that Starmer and Macron had discussed the “significant breakthrough made by President Trump and President Zelenksyy on a peace plan this week.” The meeting would mark “another important moment to further galvanize support and maintain momentum,” Starmer said.
‘Serious and enduring’
Leaders on the virtual call Saturday will also be updated on recent talks between European army chiefs in Paris, and on efforts by individual countries to unlock further military aid for Ukraine.
Starmer said Friday: “If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious, and enduring peace, if they don’t, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war.”
The U.K. has tried to act as a bridge between Europe and the White House since Trump launched talks to end the war.
Starmer and his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, played a key role in liaising between the U.S. and Ukraine as the ceasefire agreement was drafted.
