European allies of Ukraine continue to ramp up pressure on Russia. Following the visits of EU leaders to Kyiv over the weekend, foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and others gathered in London this morning to discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin must “take peace talks seriously.”
Germany also expressed expectations that Russia would agree to a ceasefire, with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urging Putin to prepare for negotiations.
France‘s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called for “peace and negotiations,” threatening Russia with more sanctions if it refuses to engage.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, accused Russia of “playing games,” while hinting at a potential EU-UK defense agreement next week.
“We must pressure Russia to genuinely desire peace and sit down to talk with Ukraine,” Kallas said, adding, “If they continue bombing Ukraine, if there’s no ceasefire, there can’t be talks under fire.”
