'Putin is playing games, we can't let him drag this out'

SIR Keir Starmer wants to give Vladimir Putin a deadline to make progress on a ceasefire as European allies stepped up plans to deploy troops to secure any peace deal.

- Steph Spyro

The Prime Minister said the Russian president was attempting to drag out the Donald Trump-initiated negotiations to give his forces time to continue their invasion of Ukraine.

Sir Keir said the "coalition of the willing" meeting in Paris had agreed Russia was "filibustering", saying: "They are playing games, and they're playing for time.

"It is a classic from the Putin playbook. But we can't let them drag this out while they continue prosecuting their illegal invasion."

Following talks in the French capital, Sir Keir said top brass from the UK, France and Germany will head to Ukraine to meet Kyiv's military chiefs to discuss plans for a force to deter Putin from attacking again in the event of a deal to bring the war to an end.

And the meeting insisted there should be no easing of sanctions against Russia.

The Prime Minister said the allies had agreed "we should be setting a framework and a deadline of delivering real progress, and that we should hold them to that deadline".

Sir Keir said: "We've agreed that we must go further now to support the peace process, support Ukraine and increase the pressure on Russia to get serious.