By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A virtual meeting of European Union leaders on Saturday with allies in the “coalition of the willing” ended with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign up to a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine now, if he is “serious about peace.”
Starmer said the Kremlin’s “dithering and delay” over US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal, and Russia’s “continued barbaric attacks” on Ukraine, “run entirely counter” to Putin’s stated desire for peace.
“In the event of a ceasefire, we emphasised the need for strong monitoring arrangements to ensure that any violations of a deal are identified and called out,” he said.
About 25 countries were involved in the meeting and endorsed the call, including European partners such as France, Italy, and Ukraine.
“My feeling is that sooner or later he’s going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussion, but—this is a big but for us this morning in our meeting—we can’t sit back and simply wait for that to happen,” Starmer told leaders, referring to Putin.
“I think that means strengthening Ukraine so they can defend themselves, and strengthening, obviously, in terms of military capability, in terms of funding, in terms of the provision of further support from all of us to Ukraine.”
Saturday’s meeting took place in the wake of a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has backed.
Like the last meeting of the “coalition of the willing” on 2 March, there was no representative from the United States, which has shifted its approach to the war since January, when Donald Trump returned to the White House as US President.
The change of approach became more notable after Trump clashed with Zelenskyy on 28 February in the Oval Office, an approach clearly different from that of Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has voiced “cautious optimism” about the possibility of Putin, who met with US envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday, backing a ceasefire.
Putin has indicated that he supports a negotiation in principle but has set out a host of details that need to be clarified before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Starmer appears to be less optimistic and has told Western leaders that concrete commitments are required now, as Putin plays “pointless games” with Trump’s peace plan.
Starmer has taken the lead, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, in assembling the “coalition of the willing,” in part to persuade Trump to maintain support for Kyiv.
Ukraine, under severe military pressure on parts of the front line three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, has already endorsed the truce proposal. Russia’s army has gained battlefield momentum, and analysts say Putin will likely be reluctant to rush into a ceasefire while he feels he has an advantage.
But despite the ceasefire talks, Russia and Ukraine have continued strikes. Both countries traded heavy aerial blows overnight on Saturday, with both sides reporting more than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories.
