Britain rejected France and Italy’s proposal to hold talks with Russia

Britain has differed with France and Italy on whether talks with Russia about Ukraine should be resumed, and has called for increasing pressure on Moscow through sanctions and military support for Kyiv.

This was stated by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in an interview with Politico.

She rejected the proposal by France and Italy about the possibility of resuming talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I think we need evidence that Putin truly wants peace, and at the moment I don’t see that,” Cooper said.

The British minister’s words came amid concerns in Brussels that the EU could be left on the sidelines if Washington takes a leading role in any future talks with Moscow.

“We see enormous commitment to the process that Ukraine is pursuing together with the US and with Europe’s support, developing plans for a peace settlement, including security guarantees,” Cooper noted.

The UK foreign secretary also called for increasing pressure on Russia through sanctions and military support.

According to Politico, the EU may appoint a special representative for talks with Russia.

At the ceremony of accepting the credentials of foreign ambassadors, Putin said that Europe sooner or later would return “to normal, constructive communication on the principles of respect for national interests, taking into account security concerns.”

“It’s not for nothing that they say: peace does not come by itself; it is built, and built every day. Peace requires effort, responsibility, and a conscious choice. The relevance of this is obvious,” he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump believes that Putin is ready to make a deal.

However, in his view, the conflict has still not ended because of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

“I think that Ukraine is less ready to make a deal,” Trump claims.

In response, Zelensky stressed that Kyiv has never been and will never be an “obstacle to peace.”