Starmer vows to 'dial up pressure on Putin’ as coalition of the willing unveils new plan to cripple Russia
The Prime Minister said Putin is the "only person who does not want to stop this war" following a key summit
Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to ramp up the pressure on Vladimir Putin - as he unveiled the coalition of the willing's new plan to force the Russian leader to end the Ukraine war.
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His comments came after leaders from the European alliance met in London on Friday as frustrations grow at Putin's refusal to end the conflict.
Speaking from Downing Street alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Prime Minister said Putin is the "only person who does not want to stop this war."
"You have said for months that you're ready for a ceasefire and you're ready to meet Putin.
"Yet, he continues to stall and play for time."
He blasted Putin's "ludicrous demands for Ukrainian land which he could not and has not taken by force", which shows Russia is not serious about making peace.
Read more: Putin hits back at Trump's 'unfriendly act' after US sanctions Russia’s biggest oil firms
The Prime Minister then unveiled a plan to "dial up the pressure" on Putin, which he said was agreed on during the summit.
It includes:
- Crippling the Russian oil and gas industries and taking them off the global market, with Sir Kier praising Mr Trump for having "acted decisively" by sanctioning Russia's two major oil firms this week
- Pushing on with the progress on Russia’s sovereign access and unlocking billions to help finance Ukraine's defence.
- Continuing to support Ukrainian air defences to protect civilians and its energy network from Russian strikes and drone attacks.
- Piling on the military pressure with the continued provision of long-range weapons.
Mr Zelenskyy thanked the UK for the support it has given Ukraine throughout the Russian invasion, hailing the harsher sanctions imposed by Britain and the US as a “big step” towards crippling the Russian war machine.
"The fewer assaults [Putin] can carry out on the front line, the faster he will agree to diplomacy," Mr Zelenskyy said.
“There must be no option for Russia except to end the war.”
But he warned: “Russia’s goal has not changed.
“They want to break us, they want to break Ukraine. They are doing everything to achieve it.”
He added that Russia is "carrying out a campaign of terror against our energy system" to make "the winter cold a tool of torment and pressure on Ukraine, our people, and on our defence".
NATO chief Mark Rutte, who was also present, said it is vital to “keep up” sanctions and military pressure on Russia.
He added there have been “good discussions” with European leaders and the US which suggest things are moving “in the right direction”.
Meanwhile, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen claimed Putin called Mr Trump "because he was scared that Ukraine would get the upper hand", but then went on to reject the ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepts.
"But Putin doesn't want to stop the killings," she said, adding that "there is no indication that Russia and Putin want peace - not even a ceasefire."
The Prime Minister was joined in person by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Danish premier Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte as he co-hosted the call from the Foreign Office.
Around 20 other leaders also dialled into the meeting of the “coalition of the willing” – the initiative led by Sir Keir and France’s Emmanuel Macron.
At the top of a virtual meeting of the group, the Prime Minister said: “I’m really pleased to say that we’ve got a group now of more than 30 nations who have been unwavering in our support for Ukraine and a just and lasting peace
“I would say that today we are more united in that than ever before.“
"United as a group of countries in the coalition of the willing, united with President Trump in our calls to end the bloodshed.”
It comes a planned meeting in Budapest between Presidents Trump and Putin was shelved as tensions sour between the pair.