Starmer says leaders made ‘material progress’ towards peace as Putin proposes restarting talks with Ukraine

The Prime Minister said on Saturday that European allies “together with the US” are “calling Putin out” and pledged to ramp up sanctions further if he “turns his back on peace”.

He had travelled to Kyiv alongside his French, German and Polish counterparts for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the so-called coalition of the willing.

The leaders in the Ukrainian capital also spoke by phone to US President Donald Trump, who has also previously called for a 30-day truce.

Speaking to the BBC from Kyiv on Saturday, the Prime Minister said: “We actually made material progress in relation to a ceasefire, so that is an extremely good outcome.

“But it was also important to demonstrate that the values that underpin what was being fought for 80 years ago were the same values now, that we will step up and play our part to preserve the peace and bring about that ceasefire.”

He later added: “This now is a unified call for an unconditional ceasefire, backed up by sanctions.”

Read more: Starmer joins European leaders in Ukraine ahead of ‘coalition of the willing’ meeting

Read more: Putin proposes restarting peace talks with Ukraine ‘without preconditions’ after European leaders threaten sanctions

Speaking to reporters early on Sunday, Mr Putin proposed restarting direct negotiations with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul “without preconditions”.

In response to Mr Putin’s comments, French President Emmanuel Macron said Mr Putin’s comments were “a first step, but not enough” and that the Russian president was “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time”.

“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” he told France 24 during his return journey from Kyiv.

While in Kyiv Sir Keir, with Mr Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, paid tribute at a makeshift memorial to killed Ukrainian soldiers.

They also held a virtual call with other leaders across the globe involved in the coalition looking to support peace in Ukraine.

Speaking at a press conference of all five leaders on Saturday, the Prime Minister said “all of us here, together with the US, are calling (Russian President) Putin out”.

He said that if the Russian president is “serious” about peace then “he has a chance to show it now by extending the VE Day pause into a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire”.

Sir Keir added: “No more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays.”

He also said: “Ukraine has shown the willingness to engage again and again, but again and again, Putin has refused.

“So we are clear, all five leaders here – all the leaders of the meeting we just had with the coalition of the willing – an unconditional ceasefire, rejecting Putin’s conditions, and clear that if he turns his back on peace, we will respond.

“Working with President Trump, with all our partners, we will ramp up sanctions and increase our military aid for Ukraine’s defence to pressure Russia back to the table.”

It comes after Mr Trump called for “ideally a 30-day unconditional ceasefire”.

In a post on his Truth Socal platform on Thursday, he said that “if the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions”.

He added: “As President, I will stay committed to securing Peace between Russia and Ukraine, together with the Europeans, and a Lasting Peace it will be!”

In a post early on Sunday, the president said it was a “potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine”.

“Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending “bloodbath” hopefully comes to an end,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“It will be a whole new, and much better, WORLD. I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens.”

Saturday marked the first joint visit to Kyiv by the leaders of the four nations, and it was Mr Merz’s first trip since he became chancellor of Germany,