Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks during a joint press conference with US secretary of state and Ukrainian foreign minister following their talks in Kyiv on September 11, 2024, amid the Russian invasion on Ukraine. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov / AFP) The UK’s foreign minister called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “get serious about peace” in Ukraine on Monday, as he hosted key London talks backing calls for a swift ceasefire. Ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the EU joined the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy for a meeting of the so-called “Weimar+” group. The meeting follows Saturday’s visit by the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, and the UK to Kyiv, where they called for “a full, lasting and reliable” 30-day ceasefire from Monday, as a condition for opening direct talks. “This is the time for Vladimir Putin to get serious about peace in Europe, to get serious about a ceasefire and to get serious about talks,” Lammy said on Monday. Advertisement He warned that European countries must “be prepared if this is not the moment of seriousness from Putin and we do not get that peace.” The “Weimar+” group was set up in February in response to shifting US policy towards the war in Ukraine and European security under President Donald Trump. The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas renewed calls for a ceasefire on Monday. “If there is no ceasefire, there cannot be talks under fire,” she said in London, accusing Russia of “playing games.” “It takes two to want peace. It takes only one to want war. And we see that Russia clearly wants war,” she added. Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, but did not respond to the European call for a 30-day ceasefire. Source: www.kyivpost.com
UK Urges Putin to ‘Get Serious About Peace’
