Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 27, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Add as preferred source on Google
Keir Starmer accuses Russia of delaying Ukraine peace talks, urging sanctions remain. Allies met in Paris to discuss support plans.
LONDON (Reuters) -Russia is stalling progress towards a peace deal in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday after a meeting with Western allies in Paris, adding that now was not the right time to lift sanctions against Moscow.
Starmer met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and leaders from the so-called 'coalition of the willing', a group of nations which are working to formulate a plan of support for Ukraine in the event of a a peace deal with Russia.
"We agreed here in Paris today that it's clear the Russians are filibustering," Starmer told a press conference.
"They are playing games and playing for time," he said.
"I don't want to put a hard deadline on this, but we need to see this developing in days and weeks, not months and months."
Starmer also said European allies would be ready to help put any peace deal into operation whatever its precise shape turns out to be.
He added that leaders at the meeting had "complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions (against Russia), quite the contrary".
(Reporting by Catarina Demony, writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by William James and Kate Holton)
The article discusses Keir Starmer's accusation that Russia is delaying progress on a Ukraine peace deal and the need to maintain sanctions.
Starmer emphasized that sanctions against Russia should not be lifted and stressed the urgency of progress in peace talks.
The meeting in Paris was attended by Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and leaders from the coalition of the willing.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
