European leaders have agreed with United States President Donald Trump that Russia's stance on ceasefire talks in the war in Ukraine is unacceptable and they intend to coordinate a joint response, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today.
Starmer made the remarks in Tirana, where leaders of dozens of European countries gathered for a summit of the European Political Community and where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also present.
Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in Istanbul today since the start of the war in 2022, lasting less than two hours, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministries of Turkey and Ukraine.
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Kiev says the Kremlin has introduced new "unacceptable demands," including for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from large parts of its territory, according to a Ukrainian official.
Zelensky has previously said Ukraine is committed to ending the war, but has called on dozens of European leaders to tighten sanctions against Russia's energy sector and banks if Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to "buy time with negotiations."
Starmer supported his position, saying in a speech at the Tirana summit that "Russia is stalling and playing games. We must be ready to get things done because if Russia does not come to the negotiating table, Putin must pay the price."
European Union foreign policy chief Kaia Kalas also said that Putin is "playing games, which shows they are not serious about peace."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was clear that "Zelensky was ready for the meeting, but Putin did not come, which shows his true position."
She said the EU is preparing a new package of sanctions, targeting a fleet of cargo ships that Russia uses to circumvent international sanctions and the Nord Stream gas pipeline consortium.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed that efforts to reach an agreement on Ukraine must continue.
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