England, Britain – Britain called on Friday for a package of tough measures against Russia to strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position ahead of any potential peace talks. This move coincides with the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London for crucial discussions with key allies.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office confirmed that Britain will pressure the meeting of the “coalition of the willing”—which has pledged increased support for Kyiv—to agree to three key steps: further removing Russian oil and gas from the global market, using frozen Russian assets to financially support Ukraine, and supplying Kyiv with more long-range missiles.
British escalation after Trump’s sanctions
This meeting coincides with a dramatic shift in the US position, as President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, days after announcing that he would hold a summit soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest to try to end the war.
In his statement, Starmer stressed that Putin had shown no seriousness about proposals to end the war, saying: “We have repeatedly offered Putin the opportunity to end his unjustified invasion, stop the killing, and withdraw his forces, but time after time he has rejected these proposals and any chance of peace.”
The British Prime Minister added: “We must increase pressure on Russia and build on the decisive actions taken by President Trump.”
Zelensky welcomes Western steps
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Trump’s sanctions on two Russian energy companies during his visit to Brussels on Thursday. Zelenskyy also urged European leaders to provide long-range weapons to Kyiv and utilize frozen Russian assets to bolster Ukraine’s military capabilities.
The British call to bolster Ukraine’s military and economic power comes as a clear message of the need to strengthen Kyiv’s position on the ground before embarking on any negotiating process, the prospect of which looms on the horizon.
