Key points
- Representatives of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and EU will meet with UK foreign secretary
- Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15
- Prepared to meet Putin in Turkey: Zelensky
ISLAMABAD: The United Kingdom (UK) will on Monday host European ministers for talks on Ukraine conflict, two days after Ukraine’s allies demanded that Russia accept a ceasefire.
Reuters cited Britain’s foreign ministry as saying, “UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy was due to hold talks with representatives of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and the EU”.
The meeting follows Saturday’s visit by the leaders of France, Germany, Poland and the UK to Kyiv, where they called for Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to allow for peace talks — a proposal they said was backed by the US, AFP reported.
Direct talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, but did not respond to the European call for a 30-day ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be prepared to meet Putin in Turkey. The London meeting, where Lammy is likely to announce further sanctions targeting those backing Russia’s war, will be the sixth gathering of the Weimar+ group and the first hosted by the UK, AFP reported.
“Ceasefire plan”
European leaders have reacted with scepticism to Putin’s proposal for direct talks in Istanbul, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning that he was merely trying “to buy time”, according to AFP.
“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by talks, by definition,” he told reporters as he stepped off a train in the Polish city of Przemysl on his return from Ukraine.
He reiterated his position in a statement from the Elysee later Sunday, insisting on “necessity for a ceasefire” before talks between Putin and Zelensky.
“Top priority”
In a phone call with Lammy on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington’s “top priority remains bringing an end to the fighting and an immediate ceasefire”, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.
Kyiv and its allies had feared that Trump was pivoting towards Moscow because he had clashed with Zelensky. But Trump has recently expressed growing impatience with Putin.
