Keir Starmer: Putin "cannot be trusted"

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot be trusted" because he continues to refuse to accept a ceasefire or begin peace negotiations with Ukraine.

Speaking this morning at the opening of the meeting of the countries that make up the coalition that has offered to contribute to Ukraine's post-war security, Starmer told participants that "Putin cannot be trusted, as he continues to delay peace negotiations while simultaneously carrying out serious attacks against Ukraine."

“This was further underlined by the indiscriminate attacks in Kyiv last week, which caused significant damage to the buildings of the British Council and the EU delegation,” he added.

The British Prime Minister welcomed the countries that have committed to supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine and argued that it is necessary to "go even further to pressure Putin to ensure a cessation of hostilities."

The intervention was made via video conference from Glasgow, Scotland, where Starmer is on a business trip.

The meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing was chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky present.

Present were, among others, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, António Costa, and Steve Witkoff, special envoy of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro also participated via video conference, as did other international leaders.

The meeting should serve as a way for the countries to fulfill their commitment to guarantee security conditions for Kyiv after ending the war that Russia started with its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Public debate about security guarantees for Ukraine initially focused on the possible deployment of a contingent of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory to prevent a new Russian invasion after the war.

Lately, however, the main option that coalition members have been publicly discussing is sending military instructors to Ukraine to help bolster the Ukrainian army.