UK PM says Putin ‘must pay the price for avoiding peace’ in Ukraine

The UK has launched a stinging verbal assault on the Russian President ahead of rapidly disintegrating peace talks.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has launched a stinging verbal assault on Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling the leader he “must pay the price for avoiding peace” ahead of rapidly disintegrating peace talks.

“Putin’s tactics to dither and delay, while continuing to kill and cause bloodshed across Ukraine, (are) intolerable,” Starmer said in a statement ahead of the European Political Community meeting in Albania, taking place the same day talks are expected between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey.

The European Political Community (EPC), which brings together the members of the European Union and 20 other countries, is meeting in the Albanian capital Tirana on Friday.

While Russian and Ukrainian delegations are due to meet in Istanbul in the coming hours for talks on ending the conflict in Ukraine, neither Mr Putin nor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to attend the talks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also been sceptical that they will not achieve peace.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned Vladimir Putin for prolonging the conflict in Ukraine and called for increased pressure on Russia. Picture: Leon Neal/ AP

Participants in the meeting will be “piling the pressure on the Kremlin... after Putin dodged US-arranged peace talks in Istanbul yesterday”, according to Mr Starmer’s statement.

“A full, unconditional ceasefire must be agreed and if Russia is unwilling to come to the negotiating table, Putin must pay the price,” Starmer said.

Vladimir Putin earlier this week snubbed peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Picture: Alexander Kryazhev / AFP

He added that Russian energy was expected to be a “central target in widespread sanctions action in the coming weeks if Russia does not agree a ceasefire”.

On Wednesday, the EU and Britain approved fresh sanctions on Russia’s “shadow” oil fleet - a large, opaque group of aging oil tankers that transport Russian crude and petroleum products - over the past few days.

The UK has recently reaffirmed its commitment to Ukraine by pledging £3 billion (AU$6.23 billion) annually “for as long as it takes” as part of a newly established 100-year partnership between the two nations.

Its support includes recent military aid packages totalling £4.5 billion (AU $9.35 billion) comprised of long-range missiles, drones, and air defence systems.

Putin mocks the world with telling snub

Vladimir Putin is snubbing peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in the latest sign that Russia’s dictator is less than serious about seeking an end to the war.

Earlier this week Mr Zelensky challenged Putin to meet him in Istanbul, Turkey, for negotiations, saying there was “no point in prolonging the killings”.

“I will be waiting for Putin in Turkiye on Thursday. Personally,” he said.

US President Donald Trump urged both sides to “have the meeting, now”, though he did suggest Ukraine, rather than Russia, was the bigger obstacle.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: Alexander Nemenov/AP

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The Kremlin has now revealed that its delegation to Istanbul will be led not by Putin himself, or even a senior Russian official, but by one of Putin’s aides, Vladimir Medinsky.

Medinsky is the same man who led negotiations on Russia’s behalf shortly after Putin launched his invasion in 2022. That was the last time Ukraine and Russia met directly, without an intermediary.

Other Russian delegates are the country’s former deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin and the head of military intelligence, Igor Kostyukov.

Senior officials who took part in previous discussions with the United States, such as longtime Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, will not be there.

Mr Trump, who is currently in the Middle East, has elected not to attend the talks. He previously indicated he would only take part if Putin also showed up.

“If Putin does not arrive, and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war,” Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday.

“I am waiting to see who will arrive from Russia. Then I will decide what steps Ukraine should take,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Picture: Genya Savilov/AFP

‘This is his war’

Ukraine is pushing for a month-long ceasefire as a precondition of further negotiations.

But Russia has consistently resisted such a long pause in the fighting, saying it would allow the Ukrainians too much time to regroup.

When he ordered the invasion, Putin reportedly expected Ukraine to yield in just three days. Its resistance to his aggression has now lasted more than three years.

Medinsky is a hardliner, and is seen as influential in advancing Russia’s historical claims over swathes of Ukraine.

“I don’t know that he (Putin) would be there if I’m not there,” Mr Trump told reporters following him on his tour of the Middle East yesterday.

“I know he would like me to be there, and that’s a possibility. If we could end the war, I’d be thinking about that.”

Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky suggested Putin should be hit with more sanctions from the West unless he attended the talks in Istanbul.

“This is his war. Therefore, the negotiations should be with him,” said Mr Zelensky.

Putin. Picture: Alexander Kazakov/AFP

Despite the scheduled talks, the two sides’ positions on how the fighting should end remain far apart, and there have been few signs either is willing to make concessions.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who in the past criticised the level of Western support for Ukraine, urged Putin to attend in person in a phone call on Wednesday, his office said.

“It costs me nothing to say, ‘Hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate, damn it,” Mr Lula said ahead of the call.

European leaders also called for Putin to travel to Turkey.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday that there must not be any settlement in Ukraine that constitutes a “dictated peace” from the Putin regime.

Addressing parliament, Mr Merz warned of “militarily created facts against Ukraine’s will”, telling lawmakers it was “of paramount importance that the political West does not allow itself to be divided”.

- with AFP

Originally published as UK PM says Putin ‘must pay the price for avoiding peace’ in Ukraine