Britain will host talks over how to force Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir Starmer will meet Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, and Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, the leaders of France and Germany, to discuss how to put a greater squeeze on Russia.<\/p>\n
The summit comes after the Ukrainian president wrote an open letter challenging the Russian president<\/a> to a face-to-face meeting to agree a truce in the war that is now in its fifth year.<\/p>\n Before the talks in London on Sunday, Mr Zelensky sanctioned long-range drone strikes on at least five Russian cargo ships.<\/p>\n Kyiv and its closest European allies have become encouraged by a recent string of successes on the battlefield and deep inside Russia from Ukraine\u2019s armed forces.<\/p>\n They believe Putin is finally under enough pressure for him to negotiate a ceasefire on an equal footing with Mr Zelensky<\/a>.<\/p>\n An Elys\u00e9e Palace source said: \u201cThis meeting will provide an opportunity to continue their close coordination on their shared agenda of maintaining support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia\u2019s war effort, at a time when Russia \u2013 facing militarily, economic and strategic setbacks \u2013 continues unsuccessfully to persist on the battlefield in a deadly war.\u201d<\/p>\n But in a setback for their efforts, Putin on Friday declared there was no reason for him to come to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n \u201cThis \u200cletter \u200ccontains \u2060some rather rude remarks. Was it a way to create the conditions for a face-to-face meeting or a way \u2060not to set up a face-to-face meeting? I think it was the second,\u201d he said, speaking at his annual economic forum in St Petersburg.<\/p>\n