UK hosts European ministers for Ukraine talks amid ceasefire call
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy (centre) hosts talks of the 'Weimar+' group focused on Ukraine and the future of European security at Lancaster House in London on Monday (AFP photo)
LONDON — The UK on Monday hosted European ministers for "critical" talks on "repelling Russian aggression", after Ukraine's allies demanded that Moscow accept a ceasefire.
Ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the EU joined Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London for a meeting of the so-called "Weimar+" group.
The coalition was set up in February in response to shifting US policy towards the war between Ukraine and Russia, and European security in general, under President Donald Trump.
The meeting follows Saturday's visit by the leaders of France, Germany, Poland and the UK to Kyiv, where they called for Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to allow for peace talks -- a proposal they said was backed by Washington.
The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas renewed the calls for a ceasefire on Monday.
"If there is no ceasefire there cannot be talks under fire," she said in London, accusing Russia of "playing games".
"It takes two to want peace. It takes only one to want war. And we see that Russia clearly wants war," she added. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, but did not respond to the European call for a 30-day ceasefire.
Lammy said it was time for "Putin to get serious about peace in Europe, to get serious about a ceasefire, and to get serious about talks".
The Ukrainian air force said Russia had fired more than 100 drones overnight, despite the calls for a ceasefire to start on Monday.
"From 11:00 pm on May 11, the enemy attacked with 108 Shaheds and other types of drones," the air force said, adding that "as of 08:30 am, 55 drones were confirmed downed".
'Existential' challenge
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to meet Putin personally in Turkey, but did not say whether he would still attend if Russia refused the European ceasefire proposal.
Trump said direct talks were needed to determine whether peace was possible.
"President Putin of Russia doesn't want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY. At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the US, will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly." The London meeting, where Lammy is expected to announce further sanctions targeting those backing Russia's invasion, will be the sixth gathering of the Weimar+ group and the first hosted by the UK. The talks would cover "repelling Russian aggression and bolstering European security", said the UK Foreign Office.
They will focus on "both our joint efforts to strengthen European security and securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine", it added.
Lammy was joined by his German, Spanish and Polish counterparts, while France was represented by its minister for Europe Benjamin Haddad.
European leaders are "facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of our continent", Lammy said ahead of the talks.
"The challenge we face today is not only about the future of Ukraine -- it is existential for Europe as a whole."
Ceasefire plan
European leaders have reacted with scepticism to Putin's proposal for direct talks in Istanbul, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning that he was merely trying "to buy time".
"An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition," he told reporters as he returned to Poland from the meeting in Ukraine.
He reiterated his position later Sunday, insisting on the "necessity for a ceasefire" before talks between Putin and Zelensky.
In a phone call with Lammy on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington's "top priority remains bringing an end to the fighting and an immediate ceasefire", State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.
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