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The UK is acceptable to ‘increase pressure’ connected Russia implicit its continuing warfare connected Ukraine, says Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Published On 14 Aug 2025
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer volition invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street arsenic Europe braces for the result of a acme betwixt US President Donald Trump and Russian person Vladimir Putin aboriginal this week.
The talks successful London connected Thursday travel aft Starmer said Britain was acceptable to “increase pressure” connected Moscow if necessary, suggesting the UK could enforce caller sanctions should Russia proceed to cull a ceasefire successful its warfare connected Ukraine.
Trump, meanwhile, warned Russia of “severe consequences” if it refuses to halt its subject campaign. Speaking aft a telephone with Trump and European allies connected Wednesday, Starmer praised the United States person for helping to make what helium described arsenic a “viable” opening to extremity the war.
“This gathering connected Friday that President Trump is attending is hugely important,” Starmer told reporters.
“As I’ve said personally to President Trump for the 3 and a spot years this struggle has been going on, we haven’t got anyplace adjacent a imaginable of really a viable solution, a viable mode of bringing it to a ceasefire. And present we bash person that chance, due to the fact that of the enactment that the president has enactment in,” added Starmer.
Zelenskyy is owed to conscionable Starmer astatine 9:30am section clip (08:30 GMT) astatine the British premier minister’s authoritative residence, 10 Downing Street.
The Trump-Putin meeting, owed to instrumentality place successful Alaska connected Friday, has stirred unease successful Kyiv implicit Zelenskyy’s exclusion. Starmer and different European leaders person repeatedly insisted that Ukraine indispensable beryllium portion of immoderate talks connected its future.
Asked if helium had deliberately near Zelenskyy retired of the Alaska meeting, Trump replied: “No, conscionable the opposite,” adding that a 2nd gathering with the Ukrainian person could follow.
“We had a precise bully call, helium was connected the call, President Zelenskyy was connected the call. I would complaint it a 10, you know, very, precise friendly,” Trump said. “There’s a precise bully accidental that we’re going to person a 2nd meeting, which volition beryllium much productive than the first.”
The US president has antecedently floated the thought of a territorial “swap” arsenic portion of a truce. It is believed Putin is demanding Ukraine manus implicit the remaining parts of the Donbas portion it inactive holds, a connection Zelenskyy has already rejected, stressing that Ukraine’s constitution forbids surrendering territory.
In a associated statement, the alleged Coalition of the Willing, co-chaired by Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, warned that “international borders indispensable not beryllium changed by force”. The radical besides said sanctions connected Russia’s warfare system should beryllium strengthened if Moscow refuses a ceasefire successful Alaska.
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
English (US) ·