UK: Putin must accept unconditional ceasefire
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Vladimir Putin should “simply accept” an unconditional ceasefire and that he should not be allowed to veto the presence of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.
Speaking at a business conference in London, Lammy said Putin should accept an unconditional ceasefire.
“This is the plan that is on the table, let’s get on with it, what are we waiting for?”
He added that the Russian president should not be allowed to have a veto over the security architecture that will govern that peace, if an agreement is reached to end the war.
Russia has appointed a former FSB chief, who played a key role in planning the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, to lead peace talks with the US, which will be held in Saudi Arabia next week.
Moscow announced that Sergei Beseda, the former head of the FSB’s Fifth Directorate, in charge of intelligence operations in Ukraine and organizing the recruitment of collaborators before the invasion, will travel to Riyadh for talks with a US delegation on Monday.
Both sides confirmed that the talks in Saudi Arabia are aimed at finalizing the agreed limited ceasefire and starting negotiations on a naval ceasefire.
The speech will be joined by Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who will participate in a new round of negotiations with American officials.
Ukrainian and American delegations plan to hold a new round of talks in Saudi Arabia on March 24 to discuss steps towards a ceasefire with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said today.
A US delegation is also expected to meet with Russian representatives in Riyadh on the same day. These will be two separate meetings that will take place simultaneously or one after the other, Zelensky explained at a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
According to Zelensky, Kiev was ready for a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US – in the sky, at sea and on land, but is willing to “take a step back” and discuss a partial ceasefire given that Moscow rejects a full ceasefire, it reports. KosovaPress.