Prime Minister's remarks at a press conference following
a call with international leaders,
Good afternoon.
This morning I convened the largest, strongest group of countries
yet behind a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Now a huge amount has happened since I brought leaders together
at Lancaster House here in London, just two weeks ago.
President Zelenskyy has shown once again, and beyond any doubt,
that Ukraine is the party of peace.
Volodymyr has committed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.
But Putin is trying to delay – saying there must be a painstaking
study before a ceasefire can take place.
Well, the world needs action. Not a study, not empty words and
conditions.
So my message is very clear.
Sooner or later, Putin will have to come to the table.
So, this is the moment, let the guns fall silent, let the
barbaric attacks on Ukraine, once and for all, stop and agree to
a ceasefire now.
And let's be clear why this is so important – Russia's appetite
for conflict and chaos undermines our security back here at home.
It drives up the cost of living. It drives up energy costs.
So this matters deeply to the United Kingdom.
That is why now is the time to engage in discussions on a
mechanism to manage and monitor a full ceasefire and agree to
serious negotiations towards not just a pause but a lasting
peace, backed by strong security arrangements through our
Coalition of the Willing.
And we won't sit back and wait for Putin to act.
Instead we will keep pushing forward.
So the group I convened today is more important than ever.
It brings together partners from across Europe as well as Canada,
Australia and New Zealand, with backing from others too –
including Japan.
We agreed we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia, keep
the military aid flowing to Ukraine and keep tightening the
restrictions on Russia's economy to weaken Putin's war machine
and bring him to the table.
And we agreed to accelerate our practical work to support a
potential deal.
So we will now move into an operational phase.
Our militaries will meet on Thursday this week here in the UK to
put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace
deal and guarantee Ukraine's future security.
President Trump has offered Putin the way forward to a lasting
peace.
Now we must make this a reality.
So this is the moment to keep driving towards the outcome we want
to see, to end the killing.
A just and lasting peace in Ukraine and lasting security for all
of us.
