Russia wants crippling sanctions ditched for Ukraine ceasefire. Europe has other ideas

London: European leaders are pushing for an escalation of Western sanctions on Russia, arguing now is the time to apply more pressure – not ease it – to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table for peace talks with Ukraine.

Speaking in Paris at the so-called Coalition of the Willing summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Putin of “playing games and playing for time” after the Russian president demanded the lifting of sanctions before agreeing to a ceasefire in the Black Sea.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speak to the media in Paris, France.Credit: Getty Images

“Now is not the time for pulling back or weakening sanctions – now is the time to increase sanctions to get them to the table,” Starmer said, repeating his position for a firm response from the international community to Moscow’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.

“It means increasing the economic pressure on Russia, accelerating new tougher sanctions, bearing down on Russia’s energy revenues, and working together to make this pressure count.”

The summit, which brought together representatives from 31 nations, including Canada and Australia from outside Europe, comes after separate talks between the US, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators led to a tentative agreement on a ceasefire in the Black Sea.

However, Russia has insisted the ceasefire will be enacted only once sanctions on its banks and producers – particularly those involved in the international food and fertiliser trades – are lifted. On Friday, Putin also suggested Ukraine be placed under a form of temporary administration, Russian news agencies reported.

“This would be in order to hold democratic elections and bring to power a capable government enjoying the trust of the people and then to start talks with them about a peace treaty,” Putin was quoted as saying.

European allies, especially Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, are now under pressure to iron out plans for a peacekeeping force – to be named Multinational Force Ukraine, or MFU.

But their campaign to persuade other nations to send troops into Ukraine to maintain any peace deal is struggling to gain momentum, amid mounting doubts about the US’s willingness to guarantee their security.

While no specific date has been set, Starmer confirmed that defence chiefs from the UK, France, and Germany would meet Ukrainian officials to co-ordinate further military assistance.

In his discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Starmer condemned Russia’s continuing attacks and accused Putin of making “hollow promises” about peace.

Zelensky echoed the sentiment, asserting that all the leaders in Paris “understand that Russia for today doesn’t want any sort of peace”.

He insisted he was happy that with every summit, “the position … is clearer and stronger,” despite natural minor differences when more than 30 countries meet.

“What unites us is that everybody is in support of, speaks in support of Ukraine, for the security guarantees for us, and it’s very important, they are on our side,” he said.

Macron has proposed the creation of a “reassurance force” to help secure key infrastructure in Ukraine and deter further Russian aggression.

However, Russian officials have strongly opposed the idea, with foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warning that such a deployment could risk a direct military confrontation between Russian and NATO forces.

“London and Paris continue to nurture the idea of a military intervention into Ukraine. All of that is being cloaked under [the guise of] a certain peacekeeping mission,” Zakharova said.

Macron said the European force would be defensive, aimed at monitoring a ceasefire rather than engaging in combat.

Despite the support from some EU member states, such as Denmark and the Baltic nations, many countries remain hesitant to commit troops without broader international support. Poland, Italy and Greece, for example, have expressed reluctance to participate, especially without a clear commitment from the US.

“These reassurance forces are a British-French proposition that is desired by Ukraine,” Macron said. “It does not have unanimity, but we do not need unanimity to do this.”

Macron said the MFU “could be required to hold positions in the peace zone on Ukrainian territory” and would not “be engaged on the first day opposite Russian forces”.

“I think that within three to four weeks, we’ll have those two questions settled: the structure of the Ukrainian army, the reassurance forces, and a fairly precise action plan with the needs, as well as the contributors,” Macron said.

While the US has been involved in facilitating the ceasefire talks, it remains absent from the coalition discussions regarding the European peacekeeping force.

US President Donald Trump had suggested that Washington was “looking at” Moscow’s demands to lift sanctions.

But other leaders have remained firm, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stating the EU would not lift sanctions until Russia unconditionally withdrew its troops from Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory.

Zelensky expressed hope the US would “stand strong” against Russia’s demands to lift sanctions, particularly as NATO’s eastern members fear the consequences of scaling back support for Ukraine.

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